Nova Scotia teachers vote 98% in favour of strike mandate as bargaining continues – Halifax [Video]

Members of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union have voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate, in a move the union calls “a resounding wake-up call to government.”

The vote result does not trigger an immediate strike, and classes will resume as scheduled Friday. Conciliation talks are scheduled to resume next Monday and Tuesday.

“Teachers are frustrated by rapidly declining conditions inside their schools, and by Government’s lack of action to provide safe and healthy learning environments for students,” said NSTU president Ryan Lutes in a news release Thursday night.

NSTU represents more than 10,000 educators, who have been without a contract since Aug. 1, 2023.

Negotiations have been ongoing since last June, however the union says there has been a lack of progress on three main issues: school violence, teacher retention and a lack of substitute teachers.

Lutes said teacher pay is also a priority, and that teachers want a competitive salary that keeps …