THUNDER BAY — Members of the French-language teachers union (Association des enseignantes et enseignants franco-ontarien, or AEFO) will begin working to rule Thursday at 10 schools in Northwestern Ontario.
AEFO members across the province are in a legal strike position as of Jan. 16.
Although the teachers voted 97 per cent in favour of strike action last month, they have not yet announced any plan for a walkout.
Instead, their first job action will be work-to-rule measures, including at École Catholique Franco-Superieur and École Secondaire Catholic De La Verendrye in Thunder Bay.
The first phase will mostly affect administrative duties such as meetings that take place after regular school hours, and professional development activities.
A spokesperson for the school board–Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales–says classroom teaching activities will not be affected.
AEFO has 82 members working for the region's French-language school board.
The board has a total enrollment of 875, including 235 students at La Verendrye high school and 312 at Franco Superieur elementary school.
Another 328 students attend schools in Marathon, Terrace Bay, Longlac, Nakina, Geraldton, Ignace, Dryden and Red Lake.
AEFO is the third Ontario teachers union to take or announce job action at Thunder Bay schools during provincial negotiations for new collective agreements.
OSSTF members have staged rotating one-day strikes around Ontario including the city.
OECTA–the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association–has scheduled a one-day strike for Jan. 21 which would close every Catholic school in the province.
A fourth union, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, announced Tuesday that it plans to give five-day notices of rotating strikes across the province. More details may be announced today.
