Education cuts may spark illegal strikes: union
Posted Jan 18, 2011 05:39:32 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
One of the unions representing school employees says it’s not ruling out illegal strikes as boards try to grapple with what the government insists is simply an exercise.
Local leaders with the Nova Scotia General Employees’ Union met in Dartmouth Monday to discuss a possible response to the Dexter government’s request that school boards draw up budgets based on a 22 per cent reduction in funding.
The NSGEU represents educational assistants, IT staff and bus drivers among others.
President Joan Jessome tells News 95.7 she doesn’t believe the 22 per cent cuts requested in the Dexter government’s funding “exercise” will be implemented, but she and her members are bracing for significant reductions in funding.
“I mean everybody should know that the 22 per cent is not going to be the actual number at the end of the day, but becuase that number is so high, the cuts could still be substantial,” she said.
Jessome says the unions are strategizing, but not talking about a strike – because, to her, a strike is a legal manoeuvre used during contract bargaining.
“But then there’s the issue around job action, which most times is not legal action,” she said. “So is there a chance some of that stuff might happen? It depends on what the end result looks like.”
Jessome says the Dexter government’s request to find the 22 per cent savings is causing a lot of anxiety among her members, who say they can’t see where it will come from.
“We can’t undersatnd where they will be able to make cuts, whether it’s EAs, admin, maintenance, library, IT,” she siad. “They really are not running at a surplus on the front lines.”
The Nova Scotia School Board Association has said a 22 per cent reduction would mean the closure of 70 schools and the loss of 4,000 jobs.
Dexter is accusing some of the boards of purposely spreading fear about the NDP government’s latest bid to put a lid on rising education costs.
