The president of the Nova Scotia Teacher’s Union calls the province’s move to change the education system without consulting employees an attack on unions.
Liette Doucet says the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development had indicated they would consult with stakeholders after they received a report on the education system by expert Dr. Avis Glaze on January 23.
However, on January 25, the province announced they would be adopting 11 of the report’s 22 recommendations, including dissolving all of Nova Scotia’s English speaking school boards.
“It was a continuation of what we’ve been seeing over the past several years,” says Doucet. “We’ve been making changes, government doesn’t want to listen, teachers just want to make education better for their students.”
NSTU pulled their co-chair out of the Council To Improve Classroom Conditions last week in reaction to the province’s move to follow the recommendations.
The Teacher’s Union isn’t the only union unhappy with a lack of consultation.
Jacqueline Swaine is president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2, which covers some education employees in the South Shore Regional School Board and the Tri-County District School Board.
She says SEIU wasn’t consulted during the creation of the Glaze Report or before the province announced they’d follow the recommendations.
“No one reached out to us as a union which we found very disappointing,” says Swaine.
Swaine says dismantling school boards won’t help students.
“It’s sort of going to cause chaos before really getting in and helping the students.”
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) also released a statement the day the province announced they would follow the recommendations.
“This announcement will affect all 3,500 CUPE members who provide invaluable services as front-line workers in the education sector and has put them in positions of uncertainty as to what the future may hold,” said Jason Dart CUPE School Board Coordinator.
Both NSGEU and SEIU members are concerned with the future of bargaining – Hundreds of education employees have been working under expired contracts for several years.
NSTU, NSGEU, CUPE and SEIU, will meet with the Nova Scotia Federation Of Labour in a couple weeks to discuss the changes.
“It seems very clearly that it’s one of the goals of this government to weaken unions and to legislate instead of negotiate,” says Doucet.
She says the meeting will give education employees a chance to gain perspective from one another.
(FULL DISCLOSURE: Reporter Brittany Wentzell’s mother is a teacher’s assistant and member of SEIU. She did not interview her for this article.)
