Halifax-area schools set to hire replacement workers during strike

As a strike by school support workers enters its second week, the Halifax Regional Centre for Education is attempting to hire replacement workers and is inviting some parents to attend school with their children.

The HRCE confirmed Wednesday it is recruiting replacements for striking employees.

"HRCE has communicated with casual employees this week to ensure they were aware that they could continue to work in schools during the job action," reads a statement to CBC News from spokesperson Lindsey Bunin.

"We are also exploring different options to increase the number of people available to work in schools, including the hiring of temporary replacement workers."

More than 1,800 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 5047 have been on strike since May 10.

Wages are the primary issue in the dispute, with the union asking for a four-year contract that includes a raise higher than what the HRCE was offering — 6.5 per cent over three years. The union has not publicly shared its wage request.

The employees include early childhood educators, educational program assistants, assistive technology support workers, child and youth care practitioners, Mi'kmaw and Indigenous student support workers, African Nova Scotian school support workers, SchoolsPlus community outreach workers and school library specialists.

Kevin Cunningham received a phone call from the principal of his son Lian's school on Wednesday inviting him or his wife to join Lian at school. 

A Grade 3 student at John W. MacLeod, Lian has cerebral palsy, autism, a seizure disorder and is mostly non-verbal. He is one of two students at the elementary school who was told he had to stay home during the strike, Cunningham told the CBC's Information Morning Halifax.

Cunningham said he was told initially Lian had to stay home for safety reasons, and when he asked if he could go with his son to mitigate those risks, he was told parents weren't permitted.

"We asked why. And of course that was, you know, 'Nobody can do an EPA's job while the EPA's on strike.' And we said, 'Well, is this a safety thing then, or is this a labour law issue?' So they really couldn't answer that."

Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Ryan Lutes says the fact that the HRCE is scrambling to find supports for students with special needs underscores the importance of EPAs.

"If parents are being allowed in schools, if the employer is going to all these kind of stopgap measures to support kids, that shows how critical these workers are," he told Information Morning Halifax.

But Lutes says temporary replacement workers won't adequately fill the gap left by striking workers.