A public library supporter holds a sign in front of the picket line at the Halifax Central Library on Wednesday, Aug. 28.Cassidy McMackon/The Canadian Press
A strike that has shuttered libraries in Halifax for the past three-and-a-half weeks could come to an end on Thursday now that the employer and union representing hundreds of workers have reached a tentative labour deal.
The Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees Local 14 and Halifax Public Libraries issued a joint statement on Friday announcing the agreement, though they did not share details on its terms.
It says both library workers and the library board will vote on the deal as soon as possible, and branches will re-open for business on Sept. 19 if it’s approved.
About 340 workers at libraries across the region have been on strike since Aug. 26 as they fought for improvements to wages they said were “miles behind” other library staff in Canada.
When the strike began, employees were working under a collective agreement that expired in April 2023.
Other issues at play during the strike included better parental leave top-up pay for adoptive parents and eliminating a provision of the collective agreement that calls for dismissals for employees who are absent from work for two days or more without approved leave.