This was the first day of the return to Work To Rule for Nova Scotia teachers.
The Nova Scotia Teachers Union made the announcement about work-to-rule Friday afternoon.
At issue, the union says, is Premier Stephen McNeil’s interpretation of what the NSTU has been telling members is an extra
two days off in the tentative agreement reached earlier this month.
McNeil told reporters they are not days off, but are meant for marking and preparation time.
Yarmouth teacher Wally Fiander is the first vice-president of the NSTU and was involved in the negotiations and said they
definitely had a clear understanding of the terms and conditions of the tentative agreement.
“So when the premier made the comments that were contrary to what we understood at the table, it was quite a shock to us for sure. That’s why we felt we had to go back to work to rule.”
Fiander says he doesn’t know yet how this will affect the ratification vote scheduled for February.
“The NSTU will have discussions and meetings and will be looking at what are next steps are, whether we continue with a vote. That’s not a decision that’s been made yet.”
You can’t cherry pick in a collective agreement like Premier McNeil did. You either respect the agreement or you don’t. #NSTUnited #nspoli
— NS Teachers Union (@NSTeachersUnion) January 27, 2017
