This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
"If these workers are so necessary that management says these students cannot attend school safely without their support, then why can’t Education Minister Becky Druhan simply pay them the same wage they’re being paid elsewhere in Nova Scotia?” — Sandra Mullen, NSGEU President
Halifax (01 Nov. 2022) — The Nova Scotia government has ordered many parents of students with special needs who attend schools in the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education to keep their children home while their support workers are on strike. This is a clear violation of the government’s own Guiding Principles of Inclusion.
Specifically, item 4.3, which reads: “Every student should be taught within a common learning environment (e.g., a classroom) with students of similar age within the community school, with flexibility that is based on, and responsive to, the student’s individual strengths and challenges.”
Striking workers looking for respect and fairness
“We have met many children on the picket lines with their parents who are rightfully upset that they have been excluded from pursuing their education. The members who provide the supports they rely on in the classroom are equally devastated: they would much rather be in school than out on strike,” said Sandra Mullen, President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees' Union (NSGEU/NUPGE). “If these workers are so necessary that management says these students cannot attend school safely without their support, then why can’t Education Minister Becky Druhan simply pay them the same wage they’re being paid elsewhere in Nova Scotia?”
The union is prepared to return to the bargaining table as soon as government is prepared to negotiate the same pay for the same work, province-wide.
Members of Local 73 include: early childhood educators, outreach workers, student support workers, office administration assistants, clerks, including receptionist/clerks, purchasing clerks, accounting clerks, payroll clerks, and transportation clerks, and IT support specialists. They have been on strike since Tuesday, October 25.