Over 5,500 CUPE Members in Nova Scotia Enter Legal Strike Position Ahead of Monday
More than 5,500 Canadian Union of Public Employees members in Nova Scotia are in a legal strike position following failed bargaining negotiations. While teachers and EXCEL employees are unaffected, school support workers could disrupt operations starting Monday, prompting uncertainty for parents and students across the province's eight regional centres for education.
More than 5,500 Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members in Nova Scotia have entered a legal strike position after a round of bargaining negotiations failed. The earliest potential start date for the work stoppage is Monday, at the beginning of the upcoming school week.
As of Wednesday, leadership at the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) stated they had not yet received the required 48 hours' notice of strike action. Teachers and EXCEL employees are not part of the potential job action, and the school lunch program would continue even if a work stoppage occurs.
The potential strike affects a wide range of school support workers, including education program assistants (EPAs), childhood educators, youth care practitioners, and student support and outreach workers. In some regions, bus drivers, custodians, tradespeople, maintenance workers, technology staff, secretaries, cafeteria employees, outdoor supervisors, and library technicians are also affected. Pre-Primary programs will be paused in the event of a strike.
Because Nova Scotia has eight regional centres for education, each represented by individual union locals, there are variations in which support workers are affected across the province. Depending on the region and grade level, some students will switch to online or home learning during a strike.
Parents have reported confusion due to a lack of reliable online information hubs, relying instead on emails from schools or regional centres for updates. One parent reported being told her son with autism could only attend school for an hour-and-a-half a day starting October 26 if a strike occurred.