Nova Scotia School Support Staff Vote to Ratify Tentative Agreement

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--School support staff across Nova Scotia have voted to accept their tentative agreements, averting potential province-wide job action. The eight CUPE locals coordinated negotiations of their different collective agreements, and their unity and solidarity throughout almost a year of bargaining secured important gains for workers in this sector.

“Our approach to bargaining was ‘all of us or none of us’,” said Nelson Scott, Chair of the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions and President of CUPE 5050. “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.”

Workplace violence was a key priority in this round of negotiations and school support staff achieved important improvements to health and safety language, as well as a signed commitment from Brendan Maguire, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Education, that CUPE school support staff—who were excluded from the Department’s safe and inclusive schools leadership table—will be included in meetings involving safety in schools.

Other gains in this round of negotiations include a flat-rate wage adjustment which will benefit lowest-earning members in the sector the most, plus improvements to overtime, leave benefits, and pensions.

“School support staff are an integral part of the public education system, and their dedication to their work—and the service they provide to this province—was as much a part of negotiations as any of the issues on the table,” said Nan McFadgen, CUPE Nova Scotia President. “I hope Nova Scotians recognise that a good deal for public workers means a good deal for our public services.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents over 5,000 workers at the seven Regional Centres for Education and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. In October, 94% of school support staff voted in favour of job action and negotiations moved to conciliation before a tentative agreement was reached on February 28.