Union for N.S. jail workers says better wages will help staff shortages

The interior of a cell is seen during a media tour of renovations at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Halifax on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (Source: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

The Nova Scotia Government Employees Union is calling for higher wages for jail workers to address staff shortages in the wake of a Supreme Court judge’s ruling that lockdowns due to such shortages are illegal.

Last week, Justice Peter Rosinski ruled that inmates Durrell Diggs and Ryan Wilband experienced “ongoing material deprivation” while incarcerated at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility. Both men were confined to their cells for long periods of time and Rosinski ruled it was illegal to lock down inmates due to staff shortages.

The judge said Diggs was locked in his cell for 22 hours a day for most of the 51 days he was detained.

With adequate staffing, inmates should be outside of their cell for up to 12 hours a day, according to a court document from the judge.

Sandra Mullen, president of the NSGEU, said such shortages have been going on for months and years at correctional facilities, calling the situation “very bad.”

“These shortages have led to these lockdowns,” Mullen said. “This decision by the justice is very serious and it’s addressed to government.”

Mullen said the demands of the jobs at jails, along with stress and difficult hours, have created a retention issue with employees, but she cites a lack of wage adjustments as a major reason for the staff shortage.

“It’s a difficult job, that’s no question,” she said. “If you constantly work in that environment… folks get burnt out. They train new folks and they don’t stay. Why is that?”

“It boils down to the level of pay here. If the members find out there are better job offers outside, what convinces them to stay? We have been saying it needs a market adjustment. These folks need their pay adjusted.”

Mullen noted the lack of staff at jails can work against the rehabilitation process for inmates.

“This population is put (in jail) by the justice either remanded, awaiting sentence, or they’re sentenced with the aim of rehabilitation,” she said. “These members cannot offer proper programming as stretched (thin) as they are.

The court document from Rosinski said at least 19 correctional officers are required to safely let inmates out of their cells for nine or more hours a day.

“In order to achieve those levels of staffing we have to see some changes in the wage scale. I hope government is listening.”

In an email, Deborah Bayer, communications advisor with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, said they are “reviewing the Nova Scotia Supreme Court’s decision” and cannot yet comment on it or the recommendations made by the court.

“We have dedicated a full-time position to focus on recruitment and retention and have implemented a continuous open application process that is seeing positive results,” Bayer said. “We have recently hired 14 new recruits and an additional 25 for the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility who will start early February.”

-With files from the Canadian Press

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