Union to set strike date for NSCC teachers

Executives of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union will meet Thursday to set a strike date for the 930 instructors and support staff at the Nova Scotia Community College.

CBC News obtained a confidential memo to teachers outlining the two proposals they rejected from the community college.

The first was a two-year offer, retroactive to 2008 with a 2.9 per cent wage increase in the first year and a one per cent increase in the second. The second proposal was a one-year proposal with a 2.9 per cent wage increase.

Alexis Allen, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, said her members want the same 2.9 per cent raise that public school teachers received in April. She said her members are being used to set the benchmark for other, pending public service contracts to follow.

"Everybody else should follow this. And that's what's at stake," she said Monday. "That's unfortunate, we should never be a pawn for the provincial government for something going forward.

"At this point I can't see it not shutting down."

The province's education minister said there isn't enough money to give the teachers what they want.

"I am hoping that reasonable people will understand the difficulties that this province is in, in terms of its fiscal situation," said Marilyn More. "And that they'll realize that, you know, that there's not going to be a lot of new money available."

Allen said at least 48-hours notice would be given to the 26,000 students on the 13 NSCC campuses, before teachers walk off the job.

"It's not going to be a surprise for anybody," she said.