No surprises in N.S. government’s shelved back-to-work bill for teachers

The bill the Nova Scotia government intended to table Monday was short and to the point — the province would impose on teachers the same contract they rejected two months ago.

An Act Respecting a Teachers’ Professional Agreement, or Bill 75, was released by the NDP Tuesday — a day after the Liberals hit pause on the controversial legislation.

READ MORE: Government holds off on imposing contract on Nova Scotia teachers

The bill states the tentative agreement reached on Sept. 2, which was rejected in October, is “deemed to constitute a professional agreement” between the education minister as an employer and the union as a bargaining agent.

Bill 75 was set to be tabled in the Nova Scotia Legislature Monday, in response to the Nova Scotia Teachers Union’s (NSTU) plan to begin a work-to-rule campaign.

Education Minister Karen Casey introduced the bill Saturday, at the same time closing schools on Monday, saying union directives around their work-to-rule campaign posed a threat to student safety.

Schools re-opened after brief closure

After the government announced it would be holding off on imposing the contract, it also re-opened schools for Tuesday.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia schools to reopen Tuesday, work-to-rule still in place

Casey said Monday afternoon that after learning about a change in work-to-rule guidelines by the NSTU, the government and superintendents deemed it was safe to send students back to class.

The province’s teachers have voted down two tentative agreements, both of which were recommended by their union.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia teachers’ 16 contract demands and what the province says they cost

The proposed contract — which would have been retroactive to 2015 when the last collective agreement for unionized teachers expired — would mean a two-year wage freeze for teachers followed by a three per cent wage increase over the last two years.

It would also freeze the long-service award retroactive to 2015. The contract would be in place until July 2019.

Read the bill below: