Province, teachers union set to begin conciliated talks

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) and the Department of Education will be back at the negotiating table starting Monday, along with a conciliator.

The talks are scheduled for April 15 and 16 and come after last week’s near-unanimous strike vote by the NSTU.

The union said 98 per cent of its membership voted in favour of a strike mandate, although it’s expected the union won’t be in a legal strike position until sometime in June.

President Ryan Lutes said last week that the result showed teachers don’t have faith in the province’s handling of public education.

Education Minister Becky Druhan called the vote a distraction that caused confusion and anxiety for students and families.

The conciliator would be required to file a report with the minister of labour if the talks break down again. That would be followed by a 45-day cooling period.