New Rules Clarify Severance for Non-Union Civil Servants

The Province is updating the General Civil Service Regulations to ensure non-union and non-association civil servants dismissed without cause are fairly compensated.

The new rules provide clear, fair and consistent compensation and help the government build a modern, flexible workforce that can better respond and adapt to the priorities of Nova Scotians.

“We value our employees and are committed to treating them with fairness and respect,” said Twila Grosse, Minister of the Public Service Commission. “The updated approach will allow the government to consistently align employee skill sets with the needs of Nova Scotians as they change over time, while ensuring an impacted employee receives reasonable compensation.”

The maximum severance for non-union and non-association civil servants dismissed without cause is 72 weeks’ salary, based on four weeks’ pay per year of service, plus eight weeks’ notice, for a total of up to 80 weeks’ pay.

The updated regulations, effective today, June 27, follow today’s proclamation of amendments to the Civil Service Act that passed in the legislature in March.

Quick Facts:

• about 24 per cent of provincial civil servants are non-union/non-association employees
• the updated regulations eliminate references to layoffs of non-union and non-association civil servants that are no longer required
• this approach aligns with practices in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario

Additional Resources:

The General Civil Service Regulations are available at: https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/rxaa-l.htm#civsvc