Striking staff at Halifax public libraries say current wages aren’t enough to live on

More than 300 unionized workers at 14 public libraries across the Halifax region have walked off the job to demand better wages.

Halifax Public Library employees hit the picket line on Monday after conciliation talks between their employer and their union fell through.

Service adviser Dominique Nielsen was outside Halifax Central Library with about 40 of her colleagues today, and she says many of them aren’t paid enough to make ends meet.

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The employees’ most recent collective agreement expired in April 2023, and it says librarians make between $59,705 and $68,224 a year, while service support workers — who are the lowest paid employees at Halifax Public Libraries — make between $35,512 and $40,460 annually.

Nielsen says talks between the union and employer broke down when the employer offered annual salary increases of 3.5 per cent in the first year and three per cent in the following three years, which she says is not enough for many library workers.

A statement issued by Halifax Public Libraries says the employer acknowledges the Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees’ concerns about increased living costs, but it believes its final offer is fair.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2024.