CUPE Local 441 president Dean Coates was “cautiously optimistic” on Friday and said that an agreement could potentially be reached with the Saanich School District over the weekend.
School District 63 support workers have been on strike since Oct. 28 and the more than 8,000 students have been out of school for three weeks.
On Friday afternoon, superintendent of schools Dave Eberwein emphasized that the district is ready to get back to the bargaining table.
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After meeting with CUPE BC and CUPE National on Friday, Coates told The Saanich News he was “encouraged by the high level talks.”
Coates emphasized that a bargaining path hadn’t been found between the two sides at the lower level, but feels that an end could be in sight with the involvement of upper level institutions.
While nothing is confirmed, there is potential for school to resume on Monday if an agreement is reached over the weekend, said Coates.
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