Halifax school support staff say strike may be done, but fight is not over
Global News
A parent who joined them on the picket lines says she'll also carry on the fight for them and the students who could not go to class.
There are mixed emotions for school support workers in the Halifax area as they return to the classroom for the first time in more than a month.
Although they’re happy to see their students again, they say the fight is far from over. A parent who joined them on the picket lines says she’ll also carry on the fight for them and the students who could not go to class.
“The excitement from the kids definitely uplifts a lot of our spirits,” says African Nova Scotian student support worker Phillip Jackson.
“It’s amazing to be back around the kids; to me, they’re kind of like family,” adds outreach worker Tracey Williams.
He was one of the more than 1,800 employees who returned to schools within the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) on Monday.
Those staff members include early childhood educators (ECEs), educational program assistants (EPAs), librarians, and African Nova Scotian student support workers.
The members had been off the job since May 10th, when they took to the picket lines to call for better wages.
They’re happy to end the school year on a positive note, but warn emotions are mixed around the agreement reached over the weekend.