'We have been forgotten,' says students' group as work-to-rule continues
'This is not just a debate between the government and the union,' says Grade 10 student
The Nova Scotia government and the teachers' union both say the primary focus of the ongoing contract dispute is meeting the best interests of students, but a new group is not convinced.
Members of Students 4 Students, a group comprised of high school student organizations across Halifax, believe they've been forgotten in the dispute.
John Grant, a Grade 10 student at Halifax West High School, said students are bearing the brunt of the job action and are tired of not getting the extra help they need or the extracurricular activities they enjoy.
"We're feeling very fed up because we thought it was over," he said of the union's work-to-rule directive. "We thought they'd come to something but apparently that was a joke."
Teachers began work-to-rule on Dec. 5. The job action was suspended last week after the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the province reached a tentative deal, but it resumed Monday to the dismay of students.
Teachers are expected to vote on the tentative contract Feb. 8
Students just want work-to-rule to end
"It seems like work-to-rule is going to be here and it's going to be here for a while, and I'd say 95 per cent of students just want it to end," said Grant.
"We don't really care whether it's the union who gives an inch or whether it's the province who gives an inch. We just want it to end. I think that's the consensus amongst students."
Grant said if ending the job action is not an option, the campaign should be modified to give more flexibility to teachers who want to help struggling students beyond classroom instruction.
The group's Twitter account (@S4StudentsNS) had more than 270 followers as of Monday evening.
Grant said the group has the support of the vast majority, if not all, of student councils in the Halifax region.
Raising money for free tutoring
The plan is to raise money to offer free tutoring to students struggling with the fact teachers are not providing extra help.
"This is not just a debate between the government and the union," said Grant.
"The majority of the people impacted by this work-to-rule action are students.... There are a lot more students than there are teachers or government negotiators and we have been forgotten."
Union exec to review work-to-rule provisions
The president of the teachers' union, Liette Doucet, understands that students are frustrated.
"We always had those concerns," she said.
"We knew that this wasn't going to be easy. We knew that it was going to be uncomfortable for students, for parents, for families, for teachers. However, it was time to take this stand and teachers are willing to maintain this in order to change the conditions in the classroom."
Doucet said the executive will be examining the current provisions of work-to-rule to see if modifications are needed.
"All I can say is that the provincial executive will be reviewing those directives," she said.
"I can't say whether any of them will change. I can't say whether they won't change. Those will be decisions made by the provincial executive."