NSCC teachers set strike date

Teachers and support staff at the Nova Scotia Community College have set Oct. 20 as a possible strike for its 930 instructors and support staff.

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union announced the decision in a news release Thursday evening in a move that could affect the education of 25,000 students at 13 campuses across the province.

The union also called for the province to agree to binding arbitration to settle the outstanding issues between the college and its employees.

"Binding arbitration will allow the parties to reach a negotiated settlement without resorting to a strike," said union president Alexis Allen.

She said the provincial union executives set the strike date to avoid "putting all its eggs in one basket."

The union is demanding the same 2.9 per cent raise that public school teachers received in April, as well as similar improvements to medical benefits. The province is offering one per cent.

"The world has changed greatly since those other agreements were signed and that's the reality of the means we have to live within," said Public Service Commission Minister Frank Corbett.

He said to his knowledge, the government does not plan to come up with more money to avoid a strike.

Earlier Thursday, hundreds of students walked out of community college campuses in Dartmouth and Sydney to protest the looming strike.

"This is my opportunity to improve my standard of living, my family's standard of living," said Trevor Dixon, a student at the Dartmouth campus.

"If they go out on strike because they're not being treated equal as other educators in the province, then how am I supposed to improve myself to make everywhere else around me better?"

On Sept. 22, community college workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike. They have been without a contract since August 2008.

Talks broke off last week.