Members of the group Nova Scotia Parents for Teachers are requesting a meeting with government to discuss the ongoing labour dispute between the province and unionized teachers.
READ: ‘Enough is enough’: labour activists fed up with NS government
The group made their announcement at a press conference at the Nova Scotia legislature on Thursday, where parents talked about their experiences with work-to-rule job action and expressed their continued support for teachers.
Parents for Teachers started three months ago, just after a strike vote was held by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. It has now grown to include more than 19,000 members.
“The goal of our group is to afford parents who support teachers’ actions a safe environment to discuss the dispute, to voice their concerns and opinions and have fruitful discussions through a respectful and meaningful debate on all issues surrounding this dispute,” said Trish Keeping, a mother and grandmother who took part in the conference.
Keeping said members of the group fully support teachers and that most Nova Scotians are fully aware of the changes needed in the education system.
“The most important thing for all Nova Scotia teachers is for more resources to put directly into the classrooms.”
Group wants meeting with premier, minister
Keeping said the group is looking to meet with Premier Stephen McNeil and Education Minister Karen Casey for a face-to-face meeting to discuss the situation. So far, no request has been made to either McNeil or Casey.
READ: Nova Scotia teachers’ 16 contract demands and what the province says they cost
“We are in the process of trying to find an appropriate location and get those things in place and then we will send them an official request to ask them to meet with us,” said Keeping.
When asked for an interview, McNeil and Casey’s spokespeople told Global News they would not be commenting on the press conference.
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Parents for Teachers is also planning to roll out a social media campaign in the coming weeks to get out the message of “what is needed in the classrooms.”
“This is very contentious. This whole thing is very contentious,” Keeping said. “Although we are sure that there are a lot of supporters in Nova Scotia for the teachers and for the children, because this is not just about teachers anymore, this is about the children in this province having proper access to their rightful education. The information that is getting out there through the press a lot of times is more of the government’s information.”
WATCH: N.S. students divided over ongoing teachers’ labour dispute
Ongoing labour dispute has multiple issues
The premier has repeatedly said there is not enough money to meet the union’s demands and that he has to try and balance the financial ramifications of the province.
But NSTU president Liette Doucet said the Nova Scotia government is attacking unions, attempting to break unions and stripping contracts.
She also said officials are doing nothing to ensure that the wages of women come up to meet regular wages. The NSTU for example has 75 per cent women in their union.
READ MORE: Stephen McNeil holding firm line on negotiations with teachers
“It doesn’t look good on the government, they are allowing women to be paid less and are continuing what has been happening over the past and shouldn’t be happening.”
Members of Parents for Teachers say they don’t buy the premier’s explanation of balancing finances and believe the government can find the money required to put into the education system.
“We think that it’s a matter of maybe looking into how money is allocated,” said Keeping.
“If you’re going to spend $6 million a year on studies and you’re not using them, then that money is better spent in the classrooms.”
NSTU discussing work-to-rule, legal action and tentative agreement with executive
Members of the NSTU executive are currently meeting to discuss their work-to-rule directive and whether or not anything needs to be changed.
The meeting comes after five universities in the province announced they were taking the union to court over work-to-rule and the fact that the job action prohibits teachers from accepting and supervising student teachers.
St. Francis Xavier University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Acadia University, Cape Breton University and Université Saint-Anne say the directive violates Section 31 of the Education Act.
A hearing has been set for Feb. 10 at Nova Scotia Supreme Court to hear an emergency injunction into the matter.
WATCH: 5 universities taking Nova Scotia Teachers Union to court over work-to-rule
The union executive is also discussing whether or not they will continue to recommend that their members accept the tentative agreement reached between the NSTU and the provincial government last month.
Doucet said she has been speaking with members and gone to meetings around the province to provide information to them. A vote has been set for Feb. 8 to see whether or not members would accept the deal.
READ MORE: Details of NS teachers’ tentative agreement raise concerns
When asked Thursday whether or not the executive is still recommending the contract, Doucet told reporters, “I can’t answer that. That’s part of the meetings we’re in.”
This is the third tentative agreement that has been reached. The first two were rejected by union members.
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