For the second time, Nova Scotia teachers have rejected the government’s contract offer.
Ninety-four percent of the province’s 9,000 teachers turned out to vote.
Seventy percent of those, voted to reject the tentative agreement reached between the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the province.
This is the second agreement the teacher’s union has reached and the second time the union members have gone against the deal since negotiations began in September, 2015.
The last teacher’s contract expired on July 31, 2015.
NS teachers vote 70% against latest contract offer from province https://t.co/MhjAKvbUCB
— CKBW Radio (@ckbwradio) October 5, 2016
At issue for the teachers are poor working conditions and not being valued as professionals.
It remains to be seen if government will now enact Bill 148 which would impose a contract on the province’s public sector workers.
Statement from Minister https://t.co/z8WnvRxDLC
— Nova Scotia Gov. (@nsgov) October 5, 2016
The McNeil government has repeatedly stated they would not allow negotiations with unions to go to arbitration.
NSTU president Liette Doucet says they will be looking at the option of bringing a strike vote to their members.
