Tentative Agreement Reached with Teachers

A tentative agreement was reached today, Oct. 20, between the province and its 10,000 teachers. The Minister of Education and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union have agreed on all issues, with the exception of salary and duration of the contract, which will be settled through binding arbitration.

"Our objective all along has been to ensure there is a reasonable settlement for teachers and to protect students from class disruptions," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "We made significant progress in mediation and I am very pleased the two parties have a tentative agreement to settle outstanding issues through binding arbitration."

"Our goal from the beginning has been to achieve a fair and reasonable agreement for our members," said NSTU president Brian Forbes. "We feel we have accomplished that on a majority of issues and believe that binding arbitration offers the best option to settle salary."

The tentative agreement and the referral to proceed to binding arbitration will be subject to ratification according to NSTU policies and, if ratified, the Teachers' Collective Bargaining Act.

Ms. Purves and Mr. Forbes agree that mediator Milton Veniot was very helpful in bringing the parties closer together.

Details of the tentative agreement will be made public once ratified by the NSTU membership.