The union representing 3,700 school board workers across Nova Scotia returned to the bargaining table last Friday, May 17, with virtually no progress being made in those talks.
That blunt assessment comes from CUPE School Board Co-ordinator Kathy MacLeod who says, “Six of the seven locals that make up the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions (NSSBCU) are now scheduling strike votes across the province. Local 3890 at the Chignecto Central Regional School Board have already held their strike vote.
“We continue to have several outstanding issues that need to be resolved before we can conclude this round of bargaining. These employers and their funder do not appear to be serious about reaching a negotiated settlement in this dispute,” says MacLeod.
MacLeod says, “While we do have an additional date of May 30 for conciliation talks to resume, we believe a strong strike mandate from our membership is required to convince the school boards that we are serious about getting a new contract.”
The NSSBCU bargains provincially on behalf of seven school boards. CUPE represents employees in every job classification, other than teachers, in the province’s P-12 school system.