Nova Scotia’s 10,000 public school teachers have agreed to a tentative agreement reached between the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the provincial government.
In an electronic vote held provincewide this past Tuesday, 81 per cent of teachers voted 79 per cent in favour of the tentative deal. The contract sees teachers receive a 2.9 per cent salary increase in each of the two years of the agreement.
The agreement between NSTU and the province was reached on Feb. 6. Seventeen bargaining sessions were held since April, 2006, and three days of talks assisted by a conciliation officer earlier this month.
“Bargaining teams for both sides were able to overcome their differences and work together to address concerns about the public school system,” said NSTU president Alexis Allen in a release.
Allen said the agreement addresses issues such as definition of the school day, increase in allowances paid to administrators, enhanced health-plan benefits and better pay for substitute teachers and beginning teachers.
The previous teachers’ contract expired July 31 last year.
