New Brunswick teachers, province reach tentative contract agreement

Aftermore thantwo years of waitingfor a new collective agreement, the New Brunswick Teachers' Federation hasreached a tentative deal with the provincial government.

The agreement covers more than 7,800 workers in the public school system whose latest contract with the government expired in February 2021.

Details about what the agreement entails are being withheld until a ratification vote, which is expected to take place in September.

Tensions continued to risein May, after the federation declared a 100-day countdown toward a threatened strike. It set Aug. 28 as the date for deciding ona strike if a tentative agreement was reached.

Unsuccessful talks between the two groups continueduntil early last week, whena conciliation board report was presented to the provincial government. The report outlined recommendations, including general economic increasesto "ensure that salaries for all New Brunswick teachers remain competitive."

Since the beginning, the federation has been asking for higher wages and better working conditions for its members.

On Friday, Treasury Board Minister Ernie Steeves said he was "very pleased" to have reached an agreement.

"As a government, we deeply value the effort teachers put into their work each day," he added.