Ischukigor / Depositphotos.com
Early childhood educators in Nova Scotia say they are growing increasingly frustrated after waiting about five months for retroactive wage payments tied to provincial pay scale changes.
CUPE says roughly 3,500 educators across the province are expected to receive retroactive payments averaging around $1,000 each, though totals vary depending on classification level, hours worked and employment history.
The union says while one major issue around how payments would be calculated now appears to be resolved, workers still do not know when the money will arrive.
Tabitha Warren, president of CUPE Local 4745, says the continued uncertainty is unacceptable for a workforce already dealing with staffing pressures and retention challenges.
Still no payment timeline
Warren says the top concern now is getting a clear timeline from government.
“Our big thing is we want a timeline… so that we can get our money in our hands,” she said.
She says many educators expected the issue to be settled months ago after the wage update was announced in November.
The retroactive pay dates back to April 1, 2025 and is connected to adjustments made to the provincial wage scale for early childhood educators.
Warren says workers have been patient, but that patience is fading.
“It’s been about five months that we’ve been dealing with this,” she said.
She added that a reasonable outcome now would be to have payments in workers’ hands by the end of May.
Calculation concerns now clarified
Earlier this week, CUPE publicly raised concerns that some educators might not receive full retroactive pay if calculations only counted hours spent directly on the floor and excluded paid leave such as vacation or sick time.
Warren says that issue now appears to have been corrected.
“As of yesterday afternoon, we heard that we would be getting paid for hours we are owed for, so that’s including vacation and sick,” she said.
She described that update as welcome news, but stressed that solving the formula issue does not address the larger concern of workers still waiting to be paid.
Sector says morale is being affected
Warren says the delay is damaging morale in a profession that has long argued it needs more respect and stronger support.
“We don’t feel the respect at all,” she said. “Without the ECEs, no one could be working.”
She says child-care educators play a key role in allowing parents to participate in the workforce while also helping prepare children for school.
The province, like many other jurisdictions, has also been trying to recruit and retain more educators as demand for child-care spaces grows.
Warren argues stories about delayed pay can make that effort harder.
Training cuts add another pressure point
Warren also pointed to concerns over professional development funding.
She says educators are required to complete 30 hours of professional development every three years in order to maintain their classification.
According to Warren, some paid in-person training opportunities have recently been reduced, forcing workers to rely on shorter online sessions or pay out of pocket for additional learning.
She says that adds another burden to workers already waiting on money they are owed.
“We need those professional development courses or workshops,” Warren said. “It’s going to be hard for us to achieve all that.”
As of publication, the province had not publicly announced a firm payment date for the retroactive wages.
CUPE says educators will now be watching for a timeline and expects payments to be processed as quickly as possible.
Comments