Patrice Barnes says the province is "committed" to reaching a fair deal with CUPE.
Back to school is just around the corner, and negotiations continue between the province and education workers.
From September 23rd to October 2nd, the Canadian Union of Public Employees will be voting on whether to set a strike mandate.
The union, which represents 55,000 workers such as maintenance staff, librarians and early childhood educators, is looking for an annual increase of 11.7 percent.
The province meanwhile, has offered two percent for workers making less than $40,000 and 1.25 percent for everyone else.
We spoke to Patrice Barnes, the province's Education Parliamentary Assistant, who says the union is asking for a lot.
"We really want stability for our students, and we want them to be back to school and back to normal," she says. "But right now, the compensation increase that we're looking at is 52 percent in wages and a 54 percent increase in benefits. So that's a significant increase...more than the budget at the Ministry of Colleges and Universities."
Barnes says the province's main goal is to ensure this school year feels like it did before the pandemic.
"We've had so many conversations with students about the past school year, not wanting to be back online. And teachers have said that the biggest key is for students to be in the building, in class learning. And of course we hear people missed out being able to play sports and they've missed their prom."
Remote learning will remain an option for parents who wish to use it.
Meanwhile, CUPE and the government have more bargaining dates next month to discuss offers.
The full interview with Patrice Barnes can be heard below.
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