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Ontario introduces law to stop education workers’ strike

TORONTO –

Ontario’s education minister plans to enact legislation Monday to stop an ongoing strike by support staff and impose contracts on them, a proposal the union said it was ready to fight. painting.

Stephen Lecce’s announcement comes hours after the Canadian Federation of Public Officials, which represents about 55,000 education workers, announced that it would give five days’ notice to begin a full strike on Friday. They are in a legal strike position on Thursday.

“Because CUPE refuses to withdraw its intention to strike, in order to avoid closing classes, we will have no choice but to enact legislation tomorrow, which will ensure that students remain in the classrooms.” class to keep up with their studies”, Lecce said in a statement late Sunday.

The government has offered a 2% annual wage increase for workers earning less than $40,000 and 1.25% for everyone else, but Lecce said the new deal would increase it by 2.5% annually. workers earning less than $43,000 and 1.5% cents for all others.

CUPE sought an 11.7% annual salary increase as well as an increase in overtime hours at double the regular rate, 30 minutes of paid preparation per day for ECE and educational assistants, increased benefits and development. professional development for all employees.

Laura Walton, chair of CUPE’s Union of Ontario School Boards, said the government’s move was not only an attack on the lowest-paid workers, but also targeted labor. shared.

“This concerns not only our teacher allies, but I think of all the workers in this province,” says Walton. “This is a government that doesn’t work for workers and that’s clear.”

Walton said CUPE will “consider all avenues to fight back”, noting that there have been similar actions taken by previous Liberal governments.

Education unions won a court challenge a few years ago against the Liberal government over a bill known as Proposition 115, which froze some of their pay and limited their ability to suspend their merit.

The judge ruled that the government “significantly interfered with meaningful collective bargaining” and that Ontario would have to pay more than $100 million in restitution to the unions.

At least three Ontario school boards have said they will close schools if support staff withdraw their services.

The Toronto Catholic School Board, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victorian Catholic School Boards of Northumberland and Clarington all say they will not be able to operate safely if CUPE members leave their jobs.

The Toronto School Board told parents it was assessing the impact of a possible CUPE strike, but maintaining a normal routine would be “very difficult” and families should be “prepared” for all possibilities.”

In 2019, CUPE and the government reached a last-minute agreement a day before workers went on full-scale strike.

Mediation talks between the province and the union broke down earlier this month.

Aside from the wage proposal, the government’s proposal seeks to keep all other areas the same as the previous agreement except for cuts to sick leave pay.

The province wants to establish what it calls a 5-day “waiting period” for short-term disability, during which a worker will receive 25% of their normal salary and 90% for the remaining 120 days. .


This report by the Canadian Press was first published on October 30, 2022.




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