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Halifax cleaners and their employer, GDI Integrated Facility Services, have reached a tentative agreement, potentially avoiding what could have been the city’s first large-scale private sector janitorial strike.
The deal involves 300 cleaners who maintain malls, ferry terminals, government offices, and commercial properties across the Halifax area.
A ratification vote is scheduled for Saturday, January 25, when the cleaners will decide whether to approve the new contract or move forward with strike action on Monday.
The bargaining team is recommending that workers vote in favor of the agreement.
Negotiations had been ongoing for months after the previous contract expired in September 2024. Workers have raised concerns over low wages—earning between $15.60 and $16.45 per hour—and are seeking better health benefits, protections against excessive workloads and subcontracting, and more secure retirement options.
The potential strike would have impacted nearly 50 sites, including the Halifax Shopping Centre, Mic Mac Mall, Purdys Wharf, ferry terminals, and the RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth. Before the deal was reached, cleaners were prepared to walk off the job after negotiations stalled during earlier meetings with a conciliator.
Details of the tentative agreement have not been made public.
The result of Saturday’s vote will determine whether the strike is officially called off.
