Toronto: Even as embattled Education Minister Stephen Lecce, responds to secondary school teachers walk out of some schools on Wednesday, another union – AEFO, which comprises teachers from Ontario’s French school boards – has announced a work-to-rule job action from Thursday.
On January 9, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced a strike action, even as Lecce’s talks with Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) broke down.
On Wednesday, January 15, teachers and education workers represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) in certain school boards will take part in another one-day, full withdrawal of services in selected locations across Ontario.
On the same day, members in other school boards will hold information pickets in front of schools, at MPPs’ offices, and in other locations throughout the entire province.
A limited withdrawal of services, which began on November 26, 2019, will continue province-wide.
“The Minister of Education continues to peddle the false narrative that this dispute is about compensation,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Harvey Bischof. “And yet, when we offered to call off our most recent job action in exchange for class size and staffing guarantees—issues entirely unrelated to compensation—the Ford government chose to reject that offer rather than keep students in classrooms.”
Bischof emphasized that OSSTF/FEESO is extending that same offer with regard to next Wednesday’s job actions. “If the government agrees to return to, and maintain, the class size ratios and staffing levels that were in place just a year ago, we will call off our January 15 job action, and continue to bargain in good faith to resolve the many other outstanding issues,” he said.
“It’s time for the minister to stop playing politics with our students’ education,” continued Bischof. “It’s time for him to recognize that agreements are reached through focused discussion at the bargaining table, not through hyperbolic claims at press conferences.”
Lecce Responds
Education Minister Stephen Lecce, responded by saying: “For the fifth time, OSSTF union leaders have directed their members to not show up to class. These union leaders will forcefully advocate for the interests of their members – from higher wages to enhanced entitlements – however, they ought not oppose the academic aspirations of our students.”
He said students should be in class. “It is most concerning that teacher unions’ leaders disagree and continue to impede learning for the next generation. Our government is focused on landing deals that keep students in class so that we end the frustrating experience families face due to predictable union escalation. This continued strike action is unfair to students and their families.”
French teachers join job action
A job action by teachers in the province’s French-language schools starts on Thursday.
The union (AEFO) represents about 11,800 teachers at Ontario’s 12 French-language school boards.
In response to AEFO’s work-to-rule job action, Minister Lecce, said: “Students across the province are being hurt by union-led escalation. The continued and escalating disruption to learning and educational support is detrimental to the student experience and causes frustration and uncertainty for parents.
Parents and students have seen this type of job action every few years for decades. That is why we are calling on the teachers’ unions to cease escalation, stop playing with students’ futures, and focus on reaching a deal that keeps our students in the classroom where they belong.”
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