Education support staff in Ontario will have until early December to decide whether to accept a new contract with the provincial government.

In a statement released late Tuesday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said its 55,000 members will vote online on whether to ratify the tentative agreement starting November 24. They will have until December 5 to make their decision, and the results will be announced on December 6.

The union also said: "To allow members time to review and process the details of this tentative agreement, we will not comment further until the ratification vote results are announced."

The union had previously said the vote would be completed by the end of this week, and it is unclear why the deadline was changed.

A tentative agreement was reached between the union and the Ontario government late Sunday — a decision that averted a province-wide strike scheduled for the following day.

CUPE said the agreement includes a one-dollar-per-hour wage increase for all workers, which equates to about a 3.59 percent average annual increase. Education Minister Stephen Lecce went further to say the deal provides union members with the lowest wages a "significant wage increase" of about 4.2 percent annually.

Also, in a message to members, the union said the bargaining committee also secured compensation for the two days workers participated in a political protest due to Bill 28 — legislation that not only imposed a contract on workers but also made their strike illegal.

Speaking to reporters after announcing the tentative agreement, Walton said they decided to put the deal to members after it became clear the government would not move further.