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Mediator calls Catholic teachers, province to bargaining table

Union says it will institute rotating strikes next week, including Tuesday in Thunder Bay, if a deal can't be reached before the Members of Ontario's four biggest teachers' unions plan to strike on Friday.
OECTA St. Ignatius 2

THUNDER BAY – The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association say if negotiations with a mediator don’t produce a contract agreement, they’ll hold rotating strikes across the province next week.

The strikes would impact the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and the Kenora Catholic District School Board on Tuesday.

The Superior North Catholic District School Board would walk off the job next Thursday.

Ontario’s four largest teacher and education workers’ unions plan to hold a province-wide strike on Friday.

“Teachers and education workers across the province are united, and the public are firmly behind us,” said OECTA president Liz Stuart in a release issued on Tuesday.

“Everyone is saying we do not support the Ford government’s destructive agenda for publicly funded education, and everyone knows the solution is for the government to back away from their reckless cuts and come up with a real plan to teach a fair agreement. But the government still is not listening.”

Stuart said the union is ready to get back to the negotiation table, but urged the province to recognize that the discussions must be about protecting Ontario’s education system.”

They keep talking about being reasonable, but there is nothing reasonable about cutting supports for vulnerable students, nothing reasonable about increasing class sizes and reducing course options and nothing reasonable about imposing mandatory e-learning,” Stuart said.

“Catholic teachers have done our part to move these negotiations forward, but we cannot accept the government’s agenda to take resource out of the classroom.”

Education minister Stephen Lecce said he’s pleased the mediator has called all parties back to the bargaining table, adding the province is ready to negotiate a deal that keeps students in class.

“Students belong in class. My objective has always been to reach deals with our education labour partners – deals that are fair to students, hard-working parents, and our valued education workers,” Lecce said in a release.

“The government has demonstrated our commitment to reaching a deal by affirming our commitment to maintaining all-day kindergarten, investing in special education needs and keeping classroom sizes low.”

Bargaining is expected to begin on Wednesday.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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