Edmonton Public School Board support staff are set to protest Thursday, two days after the Alberta government stepped into labour negotiations to prevent a strike.
Some support workers began gathering outside McKee School in south Edmonton in the morning, where they were scheduled to take yellow school buses towards the legislature grounds. The protest on the legislative grounds is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
On Tuesday, the Alberta government provided a mediator to the parties – the EPSB and the CUPE Local 3550 union – to avoid any work disruption.
The province said because a Disputes Inquiry Board was established before a strike or lockout action began – which was scheduled for Thursday – the union local could not strike and employers could not lock out employees until the inquiry process concludes.
While workers are unable to strike, Canadian Union of Public Employees is calling Thursday’s gathering a member-driven “political protest” instead, accusing the Alberta government of interfering in collective bargaining.
“Members did not come to this lightly,” CUPE 3550 wrote in a news release Thursday morning. “They do not feel their government is hearing their pleas to help instead of hinder. They need a fair agreement for themselves and for the students they serve.”
CUPE Local 3550 represents around 3,200 support workers for the EPSB, including educational assistants, administrative assistants, technicians, librarians, school nurses, food workers and speech pathology assistants.
The union told CityNews last week both parties are simply too far apart on wage increases. The union also wants its workers to receive more support to handle the province’s expanding classroom sizes.
