NSGEU supports a strong library system and staff at schools in the Annapolis Valley

 “Losing these good jobs, affects not only the staff members but their families and the communities in which they live and the stores they shop at.” — Joan Jessome, NSGEU President.

Annapolis Valley (27 June 2014) — The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union(NSGEU/NUPGE) supports a strong library system and staff at schools in the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board (AVRSB) and urges the Board to reconsider its continued cuts to library staff and services.

“Libraries and the professional staff who maintain them are an important part of the education system and an essential part of children learning to love reading,” says Joan Jessome, NSGEU President. “The Board must stop balancing their budgets on the backs of library staff and services.”

Reducation of library hours means loss of services for students, job losses for workers

The Board is reducing library hours by 4.5 hours a day across the region. This amounts to a loss of approximately 855 hours per school year of library services for the schools in the region. Some schools will go from two library days per week to just one. Some schools that have one day of library per week may lose their library services entirely.

Library technicians help instill the love of reading in students. Part of their mandate is to connect students with resources that support the student’s personal interests, whether in books, or online.  They support and encourage the student’s personal literacy development outside of the classroom. They also organize events that get students excited about reading for the fun of it. Losing library technicians and libraries in schools hurts the overall quality of education our children receive and our goal of a high literacy rate. 

Losing good jobs affect well-being of community

“Every position lost is a loss to the economy of the community,” says Jessome. “As the hours of these positions are whittled away, the Board is in effect starving people out of a position, making it impossible for these professional and enthusiastic staff to stay in the community and raise their families.”

“Losing these good jobs, affects not only the staff member but their families and the communities in which they live and the stores they shop at.”

These 376 NSGEU/NUPGE members provide support services for the AVRSB as educational assistants, library technicians, library support workers, student supervisors, teachers' resource centre technicians and student support workers.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE