CUPE has withdrawn from the Education Accord process, saying that the recent interim report suggests that the province is heading toward a “purposeful and organized dismantling of (the) public education system.”

The accord was announced in early 2024. The interim report was released last month, and the final document, complete with recommendations, is due by March 31st.

CUPE says they have made a final submission to the provincial government’s Education Accord Advisory team and will no longer be participating in the process.

Last June, the union says they made submissions as part of the accord’s consultation process, recommending that the document incorporate fair compensation for education workers, plans to address violence in schools, improved funding for schools in rural areas, and better engagement with unions.

However, they are concerned that instead the accord will result in more public dollars going to private companies, leading to a “decline in the quality of our public education system,” and the “further deterioration of working conditions” for members.

President Sherry Hillier likens the process to the Health Accord, which was “devastating” to the public healthcare system.

She says the responsibility for what she calls the “degraded public health care service has fallen to overworked and understaffed health care workers.”

The union worries that many of the red flags that were present in the Health Accord process are present in the Education Accord.