Public schools in New Brunswick will reopen Monday after a two-week closure due to labour negotiations.
The provincial government and CUPE reached tentative agreements on Saturday night.
Seven local bargaining units were involved. The tentative collective agreements affect more than 20,000 workers represented by CUPE in Parts I, II and III of the public service.
CUPE workers will vote in the coming weeks. Details of the agreements will not be made public pending ratification.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said Sunday he believes a tentative deal reached with roughly 20,000 striking public sector workers is a fair one for employees and for taxpayers.
The premier told reporters that both sides worked creatively to balance “competing needs” to reach a reasonable agreement and he is optimistic it will be accepted by the union membership.
“Both sides were able to work creatively and patiently with the best interests of New Brunswickers in mind and balance competing needs to reach a reasonable agreement,” he said.
All workers will return to their jobs while voting is underway. The union says all picket lines have come down and all workers are in the process of returning to their jobs.
CUPE spokesman Simon Ouellette called the agreement a “victory” for the union. He said the wage agreement, meant to address one of CUPE’s key bargaining demands, would likely be viewed as satisfactory by some and as not enough by others.
“We need to remember that a year ago, the premier was saying the whole public sector were getting zeros and front line workers were getting a (wage) freeze,” he said. “We have something that’s much better. I’m feeling good about this one.”
Schools moved to online learning at the beginning of the month when public employees, including education workers such as custodians and educational assistants, went on strike.
In addition to employees at schools, the workers include road maintenance and parks workers, correctional officers, social workers, court stenographers, laundry workers, patient care attendants and food and environmental service workers in hospitals.
Health-care sector employees were sent back to work after the province issued an emergency order on Nov. 5.
That back-to-work order has been rescinded, said Higgs.
Classes at New Brunswick’s community colleges will resume on Tuesday.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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