by The Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the province are starting two days of conciliation talks, today.
The talks come with 98 per cent of union members voting in favour of a strike, last week.
Union president Ryan Lutes says there’s been no progress on the union’s main issues during contract talks that started in June.
Lutes says that includes school violence, teacher retention and a lack of substitute teachers.
The conciliator will be required to file a report with the minister of labour if the talks break down again and that would be followed by a 14-day cooling period.
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.