More than 200 employees in a defined contribution pension plan at Cape Breton University have joined the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan, a defined benefit scheme for public sector workers in that province.
The employees who joined the plan included those in management roles, administrative support staff represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees and a small teaching unit represented by the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, according to Gisèle Taylor, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Pension Services Corp. The employees were previously in the university’s defined contribution plan. They represent around 60 per cent of that plan’s membership.
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Employees in the university’s faculty group didn’t join because of timing, as they had been participating in collective bargaining, Taylor noted. “While they were focused on labour relations activities, they didn’t feel they had time to fully explore this option with their members. They will turn their attention to this again later in the year.”
A small group of maintenance employees considered moving to the public service plan but they ultimately decided the move wasn’t right for them, according to Taylor.
Read: Two universities join Nova Scotia public service pension
Last July, pension plans from the Université Sainte-Anne and the University of King’s College joined the public service plan. In 2015, the Acadia University pension plan did so as well. Other employers in the plan include the Halifax Convention Centre and South Shore Public Libraries.