New Brunswick·NewThe Court of King’s Bench has ordered the New Brunswick government to rescind layoff notices issued to library workers in three school districts and to reverse the decision to reduce the working hours of school administrative assistants.Province says the decision is under review and options are being consideredAllyson McCormack · CBC News · Posted: Aug 21, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoTheresa McAllister, president of Local 2745 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, says the union could have collaborated with the employer to address funding problems. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)Students across New Brunswick head back to class in less than two weeks, but some school staff are still wondering what, if any, jobs they have to go back to.Late last month, New Brunswick’s labour board ordered the government to rescind layoff notices issued to library workers across three school districts. The province was also ordered to reverse the decision to reduce the working hours of school administrative assistants. But with school just around the corner and no movement from the province in response to the labour board ruling, Theresa McAllister, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2745, said workers couldn’t wait any longer for answers.On Tuesday, CUPE filed another complaint with the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board, and on Wednesday, the Court of King’s Bench issued a court order for the province to comply with the board’s original ruling.”They are frustrated, they’re scared, they’re hesitant,” McAllister said of the workers. “And all this disruption is not good. But we didn’t cause it.”We would have collaborated together, worked together, and come up with a plan of action. This is how it can be done.”The Court of King’s Bench has ordered the province to rescind layoff notices that were issued to library workers in three school districts and reverse the decision to reduce the working hours of school administrative assistants. (Aidan Cox/CBC)CBC News asked the Finance and Treasury Board for an update last week, but nobody was made available. In a statement to CBC News on Friday, spokesperson Mir Hyder said. “Now that government has received the decision, it is under review and options are being considered. A decision will be made soon.”Another request for comment on the Court of King’s Bench order this week also went unanswered.For now, CUPE is telling its members to “follow the directive from your employer” and not return to their previous roles, despite the court order. McAllister said even if the province follows the order now, the impact is already being felt by school administrative assistants, who would have normally returned to work on Monday, giving them two weeks to prepare before classes resume. “So they’re sitting home with a lost week of wages,” she said. “So we will be looking for payment for that lost week.”Library worker layoffsCUPE filed its complaint with the labour board in response to a round of job cuts at three school districts shortly after new union contracts were negotiated. The board found the province violated its duty under labour laws to bargain in good faith, knowing that layoffs were imminent.In April, Anglophone West School District laid off 69 employees, including all 32 library workers. Anglophone West School District laid off 69 employees in April, including all 32 library workers. (Sam Farley/CBC)Anglophone South followed suit in June, cutting all of its 18 library positions, while Francophone South eliminated some of those jobs too. The cuts came after the seven school districts were told to find savings to make up for a $43 million shortfall.Shortly after the funding controversy, the Department of Education came forward with an additional $14.6 million for the districts. But the money was earmarked for “classroom resources” only.ABOUT THE AUTHORAllyson McCormack is a producer with CBC New Brunswick, based in Fredericton. She has been with CBC News since 2008.
Court orders N.B. government to follow labour board ruling on education cuts
