Durham high school teachers set to strike on Monday

Work stoppage imminent as union breaks off talks, insisting it has ‘no option’

Durham Region secondary school teachers will officially be on strike as of Monday and all Durham District School Board secondary schools will be closed until further notice. The board made the announcement Saturday night after the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) notified the board that their members, including secondary teachers and secondary occasional teachers, will be on strike effective April 20.

That means as of Monday, all regular instructional programs for students in Grades 9 to 12 are cancelled, along with extracurricular activities, field trips and school events.

The board said teachers may be picketing outside Durham secondary schools and the Education Centre.

Buses will only be running for elementary school students, and all Durham board elementary schools and the education centre will remain open.

The province and the teachers’ union arrived at an impasse Friday.

Items such as salaries and sick leave are handled at the provincial level, while board and union district issues are looked at locally.

The union previously said it would only return to negotiations with the province and the school boards’ association when they “are ready to enter serious discussions.”

The province has said, however, that raises will not be possible.

“I’m certainly disappointed. There’s been a process of movement toward strike action both at the provincial and the local level,” said Michael Barrett, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, which is also at the provincial bargaining table.

“We find it unfortunate that we’re breaking off talks, but we’re still committed to staying at the table.”

The association’s biggest concern is the students, he added. “We’ll still be working to get through this process, and get our students back as soon as possible,” Barrett said.

“Our teachers would much rather be inside classrooms with their students,” stated Dave Barrowclough, District 13 president, in a message on the OSSTF website.

“But this employer’s refusal to engage in real negotiations has really left us no option. They refuse to enshrine in the collective agreement even language that would clearly enable us to improve our teaching practices. Until they undertake a wholesale change of approach, progress isn’t possible, although we will remain ready to engage in meaningful bargaining at any time.” With files from Star staff