Northwood Homecare workers voted to accept a deal offered to them by their employer Monday night.

"We are pleased that the members of Local 34 have a new collective agreement with a memorandum of understanding that begins the process of eliminating the mandatory 2-hour unpaid availability requirement,” said Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union, said in a news release.

That averts a strike, at least for now. But the key issue of unpaid on-call hours was not fully resolved.

Of the 238 who voted Monday night, 90 voted against the deal.

Jessome said many were angry and don't trust their employer.

"It wasn't a cake walk and I think the employer really has to put their feet to the pedal on this one to make sure that what we negotiated gets implemented."

The NSGEU has said the main issue is unpaid, on-call scheduling.

The company wants a homecare worker who is paid for an eight-hour day to be on call for another two hours, without pay.

Northwood says it needs the scheduling flexibility to meet its client needs — which include bathing, dressing and preparing meals.

The union negotiated to exempt 25 per cent of the workers from that, but the rest will still have to wait.

Each month, another five per cent of workers could achieve enough seniority to stop the on-call hours. Unionized Northwood support workers were set to strike at 7 a.m. Monday.

The last contract expired March 31, 2010 and contract negotiations have gone on since November.

Jessome said the close vote sent a clear message to Northwood management.

"If they don't get the message there, they'll never get it,. Next time there will be no four-day waiting to see if we can get a deal. It will be a strike."

Wietske Gradstein relies on Northwood Homecare three times a day, every day.

Wietske Gradstein has multiple sclerosis, uses a wheelchair and uses Northwood Homecare workers three times a day, every day.

"My careworkers come in the morning to get me out of bed ... they get me dressed and ready for my day," she said. "They come back in the afternoon, which is nice ... then in the evening they come back at around 10 o'clock to do everything in reverse. They put me back in bed."

That's about 16 to 18 workers on a rotating basis.

Her homecare is paid for by the province. She lives on old age pension. If they strike, she estimates homecare would cost her $50 a day.

"So $350 a week, I don't have that," Gradstein said.

She says her backup plan if the workers had gone on strike was to rely on neighbours, family and friends.

The union represents more than 350 workers who care for 1,600 people across the Halifax region.