The Liberal government's controversial health merger bill has thrust Nova Scotia's public sector unions into the spotlight.

Together, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU), the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union (NSNU), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Unifor represent 23,837 workers in the health-care system who will be affected when the Health Authorities Act comes into effect.

So who leads these unions and what's at stake?

Danny Cavanagh, president of CUPE Nova Scotia

Danny Cavanagh was elected president of the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees nine years ago. (CUPE)

Danny Cavanagh was elected president of the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees nine years ago. He is one of the union's longest serving executive members.

Cavanagh, who is married with three children and four grandchildren, lives in Truro where he is employed as a truck driver for the town's water department. He also heads the local representing the town's outside workers.

In Nova Scotia's health-care system, CUPE is the third largest union and represents 4,653 workers. CUPE's largest group includes laboratory technologists and other health-care providers who are not nurses. The union also represents clerical workers as well as orderlies, cleaners and food service workers in hospitals and long-term care homes.

Janet Hazelton, president of NSNU

Janet Hazelton has served 12 years as the elected president of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union. (CBC)

Janet Hazelton has served 12 years as the elected president of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union. The union represents 5,028 registered nurses, all nurses in the province except the 2,400 who work at the QE2 Health Sciences Centre.

The NSNU also represent licensed practical nurses and about 60 nurse practitioners.

Hazelton also serves as the executive of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.

She is a graduate of the St.Francis Xavier University nursing program and has her master's in public administration from Dalhousie University.

Hazelton lives in Truro and, like union leader Joan Jessome, has declined offers to become a candidate for any political party.

Joan Jessome, president of NSGEU

Joan Jessome worked as a secretary in public health before being elected president of the NSGEU more than 15 years ago. (CBC)

Joan Jessome is the president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union — the province's largest public sector union with 30,000 members — and its first female president.

The feisty Cape Bretoner worked as a secretary in public health before being elected president of the union more than 15 years ago. She is now serving her eighth term and has indicated she plans to retire in 2015.

In addition to being the province's largest public sector union, the NSGEU is the largest presence in health care with 11,867 members. The union represents most of the workers in public health, addiction services and care co-ordiation as well as almost all of the unionized workers within the Capital District Health Authority.

As the largest union in the health-care system, the NSGEU also has the most to lose if its members are separated into different bargaining units based on their duties.

While the union currently represents 2,489 registered nurses and 660 licensed practical nurses, those members may become part of another union if all the nurses are grouped together in one bargaining unit. The same rules may apply for thousands of other health-care workers currently represented by the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.

Lana Payne, Atlantic director of Unifor

Lana Payne began her career as a journalist in Newfoundland and is still a regular biweekly contributor to The Telegram. (Unifor)

Before becoming the regional leader for Unifor, Lana Payne served for five years as head of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour. Prior to that, she worked for 17 years as a researcher and communications officer for the Canadian Autoworkers Union.

Payne began her career as a journalist in Newfoundland and is still a regular biweekly contributor to The Telegram, the province's largest daily newspaper.

​Unifor is Canada's largest private sector union but the smallest in terms of the four unions representing health-care workers in Nova Scotia. It represents 2,289 workers mostly in the service sector, with the exception of 452 licensed practical nurses in Cape Breton.

Unifor was formed last year as the result of a merger between the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions.