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Early childhood educators in Nova Scotia are still waiting for back pay tied to wage adjustments, prompting calls from their union for the province to release the funds immediately.
In a statement Thursday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said educators across the province have been waiting months for wages they’ve already earned.
“Everyone deserves to be paid on time, and our ECEs (early childhood educators) are no exception,” said Alan Linkletter, president of CUPE Nova Scotia, in the news release.
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Response from inside the house
When speaking to reporters Thursday, Brendan Maguire, minister of education and early childhood development, said the delay is due to the complexity of calculating payments as opposed to a decision to withhold funds.
“I have a deep appreciation for all our ECEs, and I think we’ve shown that with the massive amount of investments we made in the last few years,” Maguire said. “It’s actually not a holdback.”
He said the department is working with child-care service providers across the province to determine eligibility and calculate payments.
”Administratively, it’s very complex.”
According to Maguire, operators must review employment records for each staff member before submitting the information to the province.
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