Windsor-Essex public health nurses have voted to end their two-month strike.

President of the Ontario Nurses Association Local 8 Barb Deter says the nurses have ratified a new three-year agreement with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Deter tells CTV Windsor they had 12 hours of negotiations on Tuesday.

Deter confirms the deal was ratified on Wednesday morning, but she wouldn’t say how many people voted in favour of the contract.

The agreement includes a wage increase of one per cent (retroactive to 2018), two per cent this year and one per cent next year.

“Our members want to thank the community for their enormous patience and support during the past two months,” says Vicki McKenna, ONA president. “Members of the public came out and joined our nurses on the picket lines, donated funds to help keep our nurses afloat, brought hot drinks and food, supported the nurses’ community fundraising efforts, and most importantly, expressed their support for the work our members do.”

Theresa Marentette, the CEO and chief nursing officer with the health unit, says they are delighted to reach a tentative collective agreement with the public health nurses.

“This is a deal that was recommended by ONA and that both sides worked tremendously hard to achieve,” says Marentette.

Health unit board chair Gary McNamara says the board needs to ratify the deal. He says that is expected to happen on Thursday morning.

McNamara says he hopes the nurses could be back on the job by Friday, at the earliest.

“The health and wellbeing of our community is our priority, and we thank the residents of Windsor-Essex County for their patience throughout the service disruptions,” says Marentette. “The public can continue to consult our website for updates as we resume all regular programs and services.”

More than 80 nurse practitioners, public health nurses and registered practical nurses with the health unit were on strike since March 8 to back demands for more money.

The nurses rejected an offer tabled on April 10. The nurses also rejected a tentative deal on April 3.

The new agreement expires in 2021.