Nova Scotia School Workers Set November 2 Strike Deadline

More than 5,500 school support workers across Nova Scotia are set to strike on Monday, November 2, unless the provincial government and school board employers raise their wage offer in talks that resumed at the last minute on Thursday.

The Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions, which speaks for eight CUPE locals, says it will issue the required 48-hour strike notice on Friday, October 30, if no deal meets its floor: a raise of at least $3.50 an hour for every worker by 2029. The workers include education program assistants, lead early childhood educators, bus drivers, janitors, cafeteria workers, library support staff, and Black and Mi'kmaw student support workers. Talks have run for 10 months without an agreement.

A late move back to the table

On Thursday, October 29, a CUPE local told its members the province had signalled it was willing to return to the bargaining table that day, and the eight local presidents gathered in Halifax to discuss the opening. The letter said the locals would only recommend a deal that addressed members' concerns about working conditions and pay. A conciliation meeting on Friday, October 23, had ended without significant movement, the union told CBC News.

Premier Tim Houston told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped both sides would reach a settlement before the Friday deadline. The union says the province's current offer gives workers in the lowest paid classifications just over $1.60 an hour more by 2029, less than half the $3.50 floor the council has set.

What a strike would mean

"Government knows exactly what it will take to avoid a province-wide strike," said Nelson Scott, chair of the council. "If schools are disrupted on November 2, it will be because government chose not to act when it still had the chance. The clock is ticking. The decision is now in their hands."

The disruption would not look the same everywhere. In the Cape Breton-Victoria region, schools would close altogether in a strike and students would shift to at-home and online learning, CBC reported. Families across the province spent the week making backup plans for buses, classes and childcare, with Monday's walkout now two working days away and the strike notice due within hours.

What happens next

Everything turns on Friday. If the talks that restarted Thursday produce an offer at or above the union floor, the notice is never filed. If not, the 48-hour clock starts Friday, and the province's schools open Monday morning without the staff who drive the buses, assist in classrooms and keep the buildings running.