Halifax school support staff to strike Wednesday after talks break down

Support staff at Halifax-area schools are set to walk off the job Wednesday.

Schools in Halifax will still be open but the strike means pre-primary classes are cancelled.

Some students who have special needs and rely on education program assistants may also be unable to go to school. A parent previously told CTV News this week she was informed her daughter who is on the autism spectrum and is non-verbal would not be allowed to attend school during a strike.

On Tuesday afternoon, a Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) spokesperson told CTV News approximately 600 students will be provided with at-home learning opportunities, as their medical, personal and safety care needs exceed what can be provided in-person, while CUPE members are engaged in job action.

The strike comes after CUPE Local 5047 members rejected a tentative agreement over the weekend that had previously been negotiated with the government.

The two returned to the bargaining table Tuesday but couldn’t come to an agreement.

The union represents more than 1,800 education workers in Halifax,including assistive technology support workers, child and youth care practitioners, Mi’kmaq and Indigenous student support workers, African Nova Scotian school support workers, Schools Plus community outreach workers, educational program assistants and early childhood educators and school library specialists.

Chris Melanson, president of CUPE Local 5047, says the union returned to the bargaining table Tuesday hoping the government would be prepared to negotiate but there was no willingness to do so.

“It’s not an easy decision to come to. We know where the gaps in schools will be,” said Melanson in an interview with CTV News late Tuesday afternoon.

“We know there’s going to be kids out there that are going to be looking for that familiar safe face that gets them through school day but we’ve made that call. We’re more than willing at any time to go back to the table but only for a meaningful conversation.”

Wages seem to be a major sticking point.

Melanson says members are struggling to make ends-meet. He says workers want wages to go up more than 6.5 per cent over three years, which is what the union says the government proposed.

He says the union proposed a four-year plan that had significant increases in years three and four.

Allan MacMaster, Nova Scotia’s Minister responsible for labour relations, says the province is “deeply disappointed” with the strike and the approach CUPE is taking.

He says the offer presented is fair for employees and taxpayers and in the best interests of students and parents.

“It is unfortunate that CUPE is casting blame on the government for this strike given the tentative agreement was reached through fair collective bargaining,” MacMaster said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon.  “This means the agreement was accepted by the union executive and recommended to their membership for ratification.”

The minister says employers delivered on CUPE’s request for wage parity and the tentative agreement would have made it so someone doing the same job in in Yarmouth, Sydney or Halifax would have been paid the same.

While seven other regions ratified the agreement, MacMaster says CUPE Halifax rejected this agreement and has now asked for changes that would undo wag parity within their own membership across the province.

Strike impacts:

Pre-primary children will not attend school. HRCE’s Pre-Primary Leadership Team has created an At Home Learning website for families. You can find that here.

EPAs will not be at work. HRCE says principals have reached out to families of students who require the support of EPAs about how they will continue to access educational services reasonably and safely.

HRCE says services provided by the following school employees will be paused during the strike:

library support specialists

SchoolsPlus community outreach workers

child and youth care practitioners

Mi’kmaw/Indigenous student support workers

African Nova Scotian student support workers

assistive technology support workers

The HRCE says the following services will continue:

• All schools will remain open to in-person learning.
• Student transportation will operate as usual. Special needs transportation will operate as usual for students who can reasonably and safely attend school without Educational Program Assistant (EPA) support for the duration of the strike.
• The EXCEL program will continue to operate.

For the latest Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.