Saanich school support workers serve strike notice for Monday
Posted October 27, 2019 3:16 pm.
Last Updated October 27, 2019 3:18 pm.
SAANICH, B.C. — Support staff in British Columbia’s Saanich school district are set to strike Monday.
The union served 72-hour strike notice on Oct. 23.
The strike will involve about 500 workers in the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 441 who are education assistants, youth and family counsellors, or provide technical support, transportation, maintenance and other services.
A union statement says the notice was served after two unsuccessful mediation sessions earlier this month.
“Our local is profoundly disappointed that we were unable to come to an agreement and we are available to meet with the employer any time, 24/7,” says Dean Coates, local presient. “Our goal was always to reach an agreement that addresses members’ needs without disrupting students and families in Saanich.”
Coates says the sticking point is that their members have received substantially lower wages for decades compared with their counterparts in neighbouring southern Vancouver Island districts.
The teacher’s union will respect the picket lines, meaning about 7,300 hundred students from 18 schools will be out staying home until further notice.
