Nova Scotia’s 9,000 public school teachers have voted to reject a second tentative agreement reached between the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) and the province.
According to the union, 70 per cent of members voted against the agreement Tuesday night, compared to 61 per cent for the previous vote. Voter turnout remained the same at 94 per cent.
“Our public school members are highly engaged in the process of democracy and have used their voice in rejecting this tentative agreement,” NSTU president Liette Doucet said in a statement.
“It’s clear that the improvements negotiated were not enough for our members, and the concerns of poor working conditions and not being valued as professionals influenced members as they voted against this agreement.”
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Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Karen Casey responded to the results stating she is “very disappointed” to learn of the outcome.
The collective bargaining process has run its course. This is the second time we reached a tentative agreement with different bargaining teams from the NSTU that was rejected by the membership. We will not be returning to the table, we now await the union’s decision,” Casey said in a release.
This marks the second time in a year that union membership vote against a deal and against their union leadership.
A similar deal was rejected in December, with teachers citing working conditions as the main sticking point.
Doucet said they have heard loud and clear from their members and will work closely with them in the coming weeks.
“We expect that the conciliator will now file a report that will state that the parties were unable to reach an agreement. We will meet with our provincial executive to explore our options under the Teachers’ Collective Bargaining Act,” she said.
“Looking at the option of seeking a strike vote from members will be one of our considerations.”
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Doucet also expressed worry about the implications the vote will have on Bill 148.
“With the rejection of this tentative agreement, we fear that government will finally proclaim Bill 148, which could affect all public sector workers.”
The province-wide electronic vote was held on Tuesday night.
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