Five thousand school support workers will not be walking off the job.
According to a release from CUPE, the eight locals around the province have each voted to ratify their collective agreements after nearly one year of bargaining.
Nelson Scott, Chair of the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions and President of CUPE 5050 says their approach was ”all of us, or none of us”.
“All eight locals, all 5,000 workers, we were in this together. And together, we were able to find common ground with the employer. Together, we achieved a deal we are proud of.”
Violence
One of the key priorities included violence in the workplace.
Violence has been a big issue for school support staff with more than 600 cases reported in schools between September 2023 and March 2024, according to a worker-led report.
Now, CUPE says, according to a signed agreement from Minister of Education Brendan Maguire, they will be part of future discussions involving safety in schools.
President of CUPE, Nan McFadgen tells our newsroom, this means they are further along than they were before when she says they couldn’t get a spot at the table.
“It didn’t seem to matter what we did to try and get a space there. Government just wasn’t interested in our membership voices. So, we’ve got a signed commitment, and we will use it.”
McFadgen says the test will be whether or not the province will actually hear them.
“I wouldn’t want to do the dance of joy just yet. We are pretty happy to have a written commitment. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Wages
Negotiations also included wage adjustments to benefit those who make the least, as well as improving overtime, leave benefits and pensions.
McFadgen says there is a 2 per cent increase on April 1 and the majority of the members are pleased with the deal.
In October, 94 per cent of school support staff voted in favour of a strike as negotiations moved to conciliation before a tentative agreement was reached February 28.
This deal is good for two years.
Comments