Teachers want to talk to premier
Emergency meeting sought after government proposes wage freeze, end of sick-day payouts
Ontario’s teachers’ unions have banded together to ask for an emergency meeting with Premier Dalton Mcguinty after he called for a wage freeze and an end to payouts for unused sick days.
The unions wrote to Mcguinty late last week, saying they want to talk about the process and timelines of the provincial-level talks currently underway, as well as who the government has at the table. The Liberal government had hoped to wrap up negotiations in a couple of weeks, much faster than in the past, so they would be done by mid-march and in time for the spring budget. Kevin O’dwyer, of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, confirmed a letter was sent Thursday evening, and said it was not about the content of the province’s offer, but the short timeline and the process. He also said it “was not helpful” that the premier and Education Minister Laurel Broten had been speaking to reporters about proposals — “theirs in particular.” “They should be respectful of that process,” he said. All teacher unions are in talks with the province on wages and other big-ticket items, with the exception of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, which walked away last week, saying it was disgusted at the province’s proposal. Both the premier and Broten have said they need the help of teachers to maintain popular, and pricey, initiatives such as full-day kindergarten and small class sizes while struggling to eliminate a $16 billion deficit. The premier even posted a video on Youtube to spread that message.
Ken Coran, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, issued an update on the union’s website, saying: “We are disappointed that the Premier, instead of focusing on dialogue and problem-solving, has seemingly tried to provoke confrontation.”
Hinting at future labour unrest, he said there needs to be “a process that will guarantee the peace and stability that students deserve.”