An 18-day strike by support staff at an Alberta school division has come to an end after the workers agreed to a new deal with their employer, according to their union.
On Tuesday, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees said its members who work as support staff at Living Waters Catholic Schools in Edson, Slave Lake and Whitecourt, voted in favour of a mediator’s recommendations for settlement.
The AUPE said the employer also agreed to the recommendations and staff from six schools who had been on strike will return to work on Wednesday.
“We’re pleased an agreement has finally been reached,” AUPE vice-president Rod Feland said in a news release.
“The more than 120 Living Waters staff AUPE proudly represents have always known the value of their work, because they know the worth of their students and the importance of quality education, which these members help provide every single day.”
The workers who had been on strike included educational assistants, custodians, secretaries, library clerks, maintenance workers and financial assistants.
READ MORE: Parents say kids can’t attend school after support staff walk off job in Whitecourt
Watch below: In the fall of 2018, Quinn Ohler filed this report after support staff at Living Waters Catholic Schools walked off the job because of a labour dispute.
Feland said negotiations began over two-and-a-half years ago.
The AUPE said the new deal “guarantees regular full-time employees at least the same number of work days as instructional days for students in a year, ensuring kids and staff are well-resourced.”
“The mediator’s recommendations also include guaranteed minimum daily hours of work for all classifications,” the union said.
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