Teachers Associations of Ontario are warning ford govt They are ready to “mobilize” if the province imposes or uses contracts on teachers despite clause To settle any bargaining dispute.
Four unions representing teachers in the province are actively bargaining with teachers Ontario government – Negotiations that are now starting months after the contract was due to expire at the end of the summer.
The talks, however, come on the heels of a fierce battle between Canadian Federation of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Ford government, which led to an unprecedented use of the law to close schools and enforce a contract on 55,000 education support workers.
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The government eventually backed down and offered the union a 3.5 percent wage increase, which the union accepted.
Whereas Education Minister Stephen Lacey Said the government is focused on “good faith” talks with the unions, also indicated that the province’s priority is to keep students in the classroom for the remainder of the school year—a strategy used by the government during talks with CUPE. echoes the language.
Karen Brown, President Elementary Teachers Association of Ontariotold Global News the unions are committed to staying at the bargaining table “as long as possible” but will not be at mercy for any government legislation.
Brown said, “If this government isn’t willing to move, we’ve started threatening with legislation as seen with CUPE, we’ll be ready, we’ll mobilize our members.”
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No teachers’ union has indicated any plans for strike votes or job walkouts, and at least one union leader acknowledged that parents may be in no mood for disruption after the CUPE uproar.
“While we may need to put pressure on the table, the time is not right now,” said Karen Littlewood, chair Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. “We’re going into an exam period, we want to make sure students have what they need.”
While unions expect bargaining to take some time, negotiations may eventually be limited to wages and willingness to offset the impact of this. bill 124 Which capped teachers’ salaries at one percent for a period of three years.
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“It’s about time there was some significant movement in that area,” Brown said. “The real wage increase our members demand.”
The unions will use the 3.5 per cent increase offered to CUPE as a benchmark for their deal, and indicated inflationary pressures on teachers as well as limited pay in the past should be taken into account.
The Ford government has said Ontario teachers are among the highest paid in the country and indicated it is looking for a “fair deal” without offering details of its contract proposal.
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