Catholic elementary teachers’ local issues remain unresolved

Niagara’s Catholic elementary school teachers are voting next month on a tentative contract struck between their union and Queen Park — but key local details with Niagara District Catholic School Board have yet to be settled.

In an emailed statement Thursday, Marie Balanowksi, Niagara elementary president for the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, said the teacher’s contract is effectively settled in two parts, a provincial negotiation and a local one.

No tentative agreement has been reached locally.

Niagara Catholic District School Board said bargaining sessions with the Niagara elementary school unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association with the help of a provincially appointed mediator took place on Jan. 10 and 19 with no deal being reached.

The board says the minister of labour assigned a new meditator to the case on Feb. 7, but a new round of negotiations has yet to be scheduled.

The teachers in Niagara’s Catholic elementary schools have been on a work-to-rule campaign since September. While they are providing classroom instruction, they are not participating in activities such as school assemblies, fundraising activities or administering EQAO exams.

The teachers have been without a contract since 2014.