The Provincial Government, in collaboration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE), is taking action to support retention of correctional officers in the province.

New initiatives include:

• Effective August 30, 2023 to February 29, 2024, correctional officers who are required to work on their first regularly scheduled day of rest shall receive pay at twice their regular hourly rate; and
• A one-time retention bonus of $2,500 will be paid to NAPE Correctional Officers Bargaining Unit members who are actively working full-time hours as of August 30, 2023. Payments are currently being arranged.

In addition, the Provincial Government recognizes the need for more correctional officers, and has ongoing recruitment efforts. In July, Minister Hogan announced provincial support of up to $130,000 for 13 confirmed seats for Newfoundland and Labrador residents to obtain a Correctional Officer Certificate at the Atlantic Police Academy in Prince Edward Island. This new incentive received significant interest, with 60 applications received by the August 11 deadline. Applicants are moving through the process and fitness testing was recently conducted.

A separate recruitment effort involves training 20 new recruits in Labrador this fall. Upon successful completion of the training program, it is anticipated that the graduates will be employed at the Labrador Correctional Centre and at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary beginning in January 2024.

Quotes
“These new initiatives provide additional supports for correctional officers who deliver valuable services amidst challenging conditions. I thank NAPE for continuing to work with us to identify ways to prioritize the retention and recruitment of correctional officers.”
Honourable John Hogan, KC
Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General

“Our members in corrections work in a very challenging environment; this has been exacerbated by retention and recruitment issues. The measures announced today are a positive step towards acknowledging and addressing the important work of our members and the issues they face. We look forward to working with this government to continue to improve the conditions and outcomes for all involved in our province’s correctional system.”
Jerry Earle
President, Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees

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Learn more
New Partnership to Help Recruit Correctional Officers

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