THUNDER BAY – Students at Pope John Paul II, Bishop E.Q. Jennings and Bishop Gallagher will have an unexpected day off on Tuesday.
The leadership of the Thunder Bay Elementary Unit of the Ontario Elementary Catholic Teachers Associations on Friday announced they would begin rotating strikes at the three schools, initiating a full withdrawal of service on that day.
“We have repeatedly offered voluntary binding arbitration by an independent third party and promised to immediately end all sanctions and return to work as normal, but the school board continues to reject that offer,” said Aldo Grillo, president of the Thunder Bay Elementary Unit, in a release.
Pino Tassone, the board’s education director, on Thursday said if rotating strikes were introduced, the board would likely have no choice but to shut down all schools. The board must give five days notice before locking teachers out.
Teachers have been in a legal strike position since last June. The union has said it will lift all work-to-rule sanctions if the board agrees to go to binding arbitration, which Tassone said on Thursday the board absolutely won't do.
Grillo said there's been comments made in the media stating that the board has provided everything the union has requested.
"We wouldn't be in this position right now if everything was addressed and that's why we have to take the action that we have to."
