The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has given the required five-day notice for Toronto, York Region and Ottawa-Carleton school boards in anticipation of a one-day strike on Monday January 20
"Unless government representatives get serious about reaching a deal by this Friday, ETFO will commence rotating strikes next week," says a union news release.
“Other than cuts to education, Ford’s Education Minister Stephen Lecce has refused to give his negotiators a mandate to discuss the substantive issues we know are important for students and education workers,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond. “Unless the government makes an immediate effort to engage in serious talks, we will have no option but to further escalate our strike action. As of today, Minister Lecce has established no dates for contract talks.
“The public education that our students need and deserve cannot be hijacked by a government whose only aim to date has been to make funding cuts. We want this government to invest in public education and the future of Ontario’s students.”
ETFO represents 83,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province.