Education Minister Liz Sandals has expressed optimistic about reaching new contract agreements with Ontario’s big teachers’ unions before the start of classes Sept. 8.
Sandals told media that she felt a good sense that everyone wanted to reach deals now that talks have resumed with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers and will start next week with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, which represents Catholic elementary and high school teachers, have been without a contract for more than a year, and will be in a legal strike position on Aug. 17.
Talks are scheduled for the public high school teachers union on Aug. 18 and 19, right before the union holds its annual leadership meeting in Ottawa.
However, the education minister has warned the four big teachers’ unions that they can’t unilaterally decide what job actions they’ll take if there are no deals when school resumes and call it a work-to-rule campaign.
Sandals noted they will all soon be in legal strike positions, and says refusing to administer standardized tests – one of the potential job actions the teachers’ unions have proposed – is “a strike action.”
The government is also talking with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation about finding common ground for a resumption of negotiations.
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