At his party’s annual fundraising dinner, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil told supporters he’s “not sure” how the government ended up at its current impasse with teachers.
For most of McNeil’s speech to a crowd of 450 Liberal Party donors, he touted his government’s record. However, he started the speech reflecting on the government’s impasse with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. The two sides failed to reach an agreement to go to a conciliation board, meaning mediation and arbitration are the two remaining options if the sides want to avoid a strike.
“How we’re here I’m not sure to be honest with you,” McNeil said Tuesday evening.
Calling education a “great equalizer,” McNeil said he came to office in 2013 with the plan to invest. Citing millions of dollars his government invested in class caps for elementary schools, he said the Liberals are working to address needs in the classroom.
“We wanted to make sure that the young generation had an opportunity to achieve,” McNeil said. “But in order to do that we had to strike a balance, providing fair collective agreements so that we could invest in the things that are priorities of Nova Scotians.”
In the past, the teachers and other unions have countered similar statements from McNeil saying fair bargaining can’t happen while the government has wage legislation ready to be proclaimed whenever it chooses. The legislation was tabled and passed after the teachers rejected their first tentative agreement last year.
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READ MORE: Nova Scotia government still has options following teacher strike vote
The government is asking teachers to accept a two-year wage freeze followed by a three per cent increase over the remaining two years. It also wants to cut the long service award retroactive to April 2015, meaning teachers who haven’t accrued 10 years of service before 2015 wouldn’t get it anymore. Some teachers would still get the award at retirement but it would be based on years of service up to 2015.
Nova Scotia’s teachers have twice rejected tentative agreements with that wage pattern. The union says it wants to see more money invested in working conditions along with a bigger compensation package.
Despite the failure to reach a deal, McNeil told reporters Thursday afternoon he believed a deal can be made financially-speaking and added his government is “prepared to continue to work with (teachers)” on working conditions.
Asked if teachers were willing to strike on compensation, Nova Scotia Teachers Union President Liette Doucet said she couldn’t answer that question, only saying the union “will have to see going forward.”
Teachers will be in a legal strike position as of Dec. 3.
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