by Teachers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike ahead of conciliation talks with the province on Monday and Tuesday.
The Nova Scotia Teachers Union says 98 per cent of its members, including substitute teachers eligible to vote, voted to give the union a strike mandate.
The union and the province have been in negotiations since last June, but union president Ryan Lutes says there’s been no progress on the union’s main issues that include school violence, teacher retention and a lack of substitute teachers.
He says teacher pay is also a priority, but he won’t give specifics ahead of conciliation talks.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Becky Druhan calls the strike vote a distraction and says the government’s energy remains focused on working toward a negotiated agreement.