Nova Scotia’s labour minister will not be appointing a mediator to attempt to resolve the dispute with the province’s teachers.
Kelly Regan said Wednesday in a release she has “considered the request” from the teachers’ union, and decided not to appoint a mediator at this time.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia minister suspends some assessments amidst teacher dispute
“I’ve considered the information available, and I don’t believe an external mediator could assist in resolving this dispute at this time,” Regan said.
The Nova Scotia Teachers Union asked for a mediator last week, in an effort to avoid a strike.
Regan said she would consider monitoring the ongoing dispute, and is “prepared to revisit this decision should circumstances change.”
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Nova Scotia’s more than 9,000 teachers voted in favour of a strike mandate last month after rejecting two tentative agreements.
The earliest teachers could take job action is Dec. 3.
NDP Leader Gary Burril is criticizing the Liberal government for their decision not to appoint a mediator.
“Twice, teachers have offered a new path to come to a solution to the current impasse with government and twice Stephen McNeil and his government have refused,” Burrill said in a statement.
“The Liberal government seems to have endless amounts of time to belittle teachers in the media, but zero time for actually negotiating with teachers to find a solution.
Teachers defer working condition talks
The NSTU says the inaugural meeting of a committee on working conditions must be postponed.
The committee – made up of representatives from the teachers’ union, school boards and the education department – was set to meet Thursday.
But in a news release Wednesday evening, union president Liette Doucet said since agreeing to participate in the committee, Premier Stephen McNeil has insisted that working conditions will only be discussed through this process and not through bargaining.
Doucet said the union has lost faith that the government is willing to form a partnership based on mutual respect.
She accused the province of using the committee to distract from the ongoing labour dispute.
A request for comment from the Education Department was not immediately returned on Wednesday.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
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