MEDIA RELEASE: Members at Cape Breton University vote unanimously in favour of strike

Members of NSGEU Local 18, who are teachers and maintenance workers working in skilled trades at Cape Breton University, have voted strongly in favour of strike action to back their demands for a fair collective agreement, as their bargaining committees head into conciliation in early February.

“One hundred per cent of the ballots cast by these members were in favour of strike action, if it is necessary, to achieve a decent contract,” said NSGEU President Joan Jessome, “This vote was a clear show of confidence and support to the bargaining committee that the members are willing to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure their next agreement is fair.”

The members are acutely aware that students are dealing with paying higher tuition, and simply want to ensure that faculty and staff at CBU are staying on par with other post-secondary institutions throughout the province.

The key issues at the bargaining table are hours of work, concerns over workload and wage equality with their counterparts doing similar work at their own institution and at other universities in Nova Scotia.

There are two separate bargaining committees representing the teachers and maintenance workers of Local 18, and they head into conciliation on February 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively.

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The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union represents over 30,000 women and men who provide quality public services Nova Scotian’s count on every day.

For more information, please contact:

Holly Fraughton, NSGEU Communications Officer
902.424.4063 (office)
902.471.1781 (cell)
hfraughton@nsgeu.ca