TORONTO -- The union representing Ontario elementary school teachers has received a ‘no board’ report from the Ministry of Labour and teachers will be in a legal strike position on Nov. 25.
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) leaders say they hope it is yet another call for school board bargaining agencies and the government to get serious about contract talks.
“ETFO is fighting for investment, not cuts in education, but Doug Ford’s Education Minister Stephen Lecce isn’t listening,” said ETFO president Sam Hammond in a news release. “While ETFO is now in a legal position to take strike action in 17 days, we will continue to focus on contract talks in an attempt to arrive at a deal that improves student learning conditions and educator working conditions.”
Hammond says the provincial government doesn’t seem to care about students with special needs, the youngest learners in Kindergarten, larger elementary class sizes and fewer elementary teachers in schools.
“Parents don’t want cuts to education,” added Hammond. “It’s unfortunate that this is only way we can get the government and school board associations to address these critical issues and maintain Ontario’s world-class public education system.”
ETFO received the ‘no board’ report on Thursday for both its Teacher/Occasional Teacher and Education Worker Central Bargaining Tables.
Last week, the union announced its members voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike, calling the result an overwhelming mandate for job action if necessary.
The union represents 83,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across Ontario.
With files from The Canadian Press.
