🇨🇦🇺🇦🇬🇪🇬🇱Nick I came I saw I made it akward

Statement from Premier of Nova Scotia Tim Houston: "Dear Nova Scotia students and families, I am sorry to report that we must now step up preparations for alternative learning, including online instruction, because of the increased risk of a school support staff strike next week. These workers, such as custodians, bus drivers, early childhood educators, and educational assistants are our friends and neighbours. We also respect the collective bargaining process, as evidenced by our track record that includes more than 400 settlement agreements since 2021 with very little labour disruption. But reaching an agreement requires movement from both sides. We have generally had proactive, focused partners across the table. Our negotiations with this specific union are proving difficult. Our bargaining teams negotiated with CUPE for 12 hours, from 7 p.m. Thursday until 7 a.m. Friday. During this time, Government emptied the tank, tabled three different wage offers and made numerous concessions and moves toward the various CUPE asks. The parties did reach agreement on important issues, including occupational health and safety training and resources. That is good. However, despite that progress, CUPE would not move from its demand that the wage pattern, which CUPE itself helped establish just months ago, now be abandoned. Department staff tell me CUPE is now saying that, instead of the established pattern, they insist on an additional 6.3 to 20.2 per cent increase in wage on top of the wage pattern. For perspective this could mean an additional $200 million per year if applied across the broader public sector wage pattern. This comes at a time when provincial deficits are already leading to difficult cuts. The fact that CUPE received three new offers and did not present even a single wage counterproposal to our offers is sad. But to make matters worse, they also refuse to put the current offer before their members and let them vote on it. Here are just some of the things that the current offer made by government on behalf of taxpayers makes available to the members: - Wage increases ranging from 8.26 to 18.46 per cent over four years. - Increases of up to $3.77 an hour for some members. - Increases to student support workers who work the 190-day school year, bringing some up to the equivalent of $67,000 per year with dental, medical, pension and vacation benefits. -Protection through a clause that would match qualifying higher wage settlements during the two years with scheduled increases of 1.5 per cent. This is a very fair offer. Despite this, CUPE is maintaining a wage demand outside the established public sector “pattern,” a pattern CUPE itself has helped establish through other agreements. Their demand would eventually cost taxpayers nearly $200 million every year over and above the investments of $33.5 million already contemplated in the offer. The unfortunate reality is that for the Government, as we saw with the protests around the recent budget, there are limits. We must be fair to workers while protecting our ability to fund classrooms, healthcare and other essential services. This year’s public education budget is $1.4 billion, an increase of more than $55.5 million. The recent long term care strike remains a troubling reminder of what prolonged disruption means for families. During that dispute, CUPE leadership also declined to put an offer before its members. We cannot afford to repeat that experience with students. I urge CUPE to show flexibility and give the workers themselves an opportunity to vote on the offer. If a strike forces schools to move online, students and families will bear the consequences. Children who depend on additional support would be particularly affected, and working parents would face difficult choices. CUPE has not yet provided the required 48 hours’ strike notice. A disruption is not inevitable, but I want families to know that we are actively preparing for one. Sadly, this preparation is already impacting student learning. I expect everyone to return to the table prepared to negotiate in good faith. Ours is a fair agreement that respects workers, taxpayers, and students. There are more than 132,000 students and their families depending on this, so I am prepared to personally be at the table tonight to push for a deal."