Talks stall Tuesday as high school teacher strike looms
Contract talks between the Ontario government and the union representing the province’s public high school teachers appeared to be at a standstill Tuesday ahead of a possible one-day strike that could close many schools across Ontario.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said his bargaining team had presented a new “framework” to negotiators for the Ontario Secondary Teachers’ Federation in a bid to keep all parties at the table.
But union president Harvey Bischof said the teachers had not been given anything new by a mediator, and no progress has been made for days.
Boards where OSSTF also represents education workers — like the Waterloo Region District School Board and OttawaCarleton District School Board — will close both high schools and elementary schools if a strike occurs.
The teachers are already conducting a work-to-rule campaign and say they are pushing back against government plans to increase class sizes and introduce mandatory e-learning courses.
Bischof said he is sympathetic to parents who will be inconvenienced by the possible closure of some schools, but the union is fighting government cuts that will impact the quality of education in the province.
Lecce said the main issue in the talks is compensation, with the government recently passing legislation to cap annual wage increases for all public sector workers at one per cent for three years. The union is asking for inflationary increases, about two per cent.
Former Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne, who also once served as education minister, said the Progressive Conservatives made cuts to classrooms ahead of bargaining, hurting the government’s relationship with teachers.
“It’s been more than 20 years since there’s been a provincewide job action by OSSTF,” she said. “I think that speaks volumes. The last provincewide job action was under the (Progressive Conservative) Mike Harris government.”
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she knows the potential labour disruption will affect parents who are forced to find other child-care arrangements, but she thinks overall parents are more upset with the government.
Green party Leader Mike Schreiner also said he thinks parents agree with teachers taking the job action.
“If the government would reverse their cuts then we could have a good faith negotiation around salaries,” he said. “The government is trying to use compensation as a way to deflect from the real cuts to education.”