Elementary, high school teachers in Ontario start work-to-rule campaigns

TORONTO — Teachers in Ontario’s public elementary and high schools have started administrative work-to-rule campaigns to put pressure on the government at the bargaining table.

They have stopped attending certain meetings and won’t take part in standardized testing or put comments on report cards. Their unions say the services teachers are withdrawing won’t affect student learning.

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario president Sam Hammond said his union is very far apart on issues that affect both teachers and students.

“ETFO wants the (Premier Doug) Ford government to work with us on important issues but, so far, it has not shown much interest in doing that,” Hammond said in a statement. “Our members are getting impatient, and they are taking strike action because it seems to be the only way to get this government’s attention.”

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said contracts can be achieved if both sides are reasonable, and called the workto-rule actions “regrettable.”

“This escalation to a partial withdrawal of services, including targeting math supports and report cards, hurts our children the most,” he said in a statement.

During the work to rule, high school teachers will also not complete ministry data reports or participate in ministry- or school board-driven professional activities.

Elementary teachers will also not do any online training by the ministry, not take part in any school board activities on professional activity (PA) days, and not respond to any emails from administrators outside of school hours, except if it is about safety, support for students with special needs or for a supply teacher to accept a job.

Hammond has said the key issues are more supports for students with special needs, addressing violence in schools and preserving full-day kindergarten.

After the previous education minister, who was ultimately demoted, opened the door to changes to the program, the government later committed to “full-day learning” — phrasing that doesn’t ease the union’s fears.

Lecce said Tuesday that his goal is to strengthen full-day kindergarten.

“We believe that the model is working and there’s no plan on my desk to change it,” he said. Hammond said Lecce needs to let his representatives at the bargaining table know that. “ETFO proposed the same idea months ago and still hasn’t received a response from the government,” he said in a statement.