TORONTO -- The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation says teachers and education workers at select school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, will walk off the job on March 5 as the union resumes its rotating one-day strikes.
The move comes one day after the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) announced a provincewide one-day strike on March 5.
“Almost every day, in the media and in the legislature, we see the premier and the minister of education practically jumping through hoops to avoid answering questions about the government’s agenda of larger class sizes, mandatory e-learning, and fewer supports for our most vulnerable students,” OSSTF President Harvey Bischof said in a news release issued Friday.
“Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce won’t talk about these issues because they know full well that their policies are indefensible.”
In response to the announcement, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said union leaders should focus on negotiation and not escalating.
"While teacher union leaders are continuing to organize further disruption, our government, as always, remains ready to continue negotiating immediately and to get a deal that keeps our students in class," Lecce said.
"We've made significant moves on our position; however, the teachers’ unions have failed to make significant moves on substantial items - like their already generous benefits packages and their insistence on maintaining hiring based on union seniority rather than merit."
Last week, all four of the province’s major teachers’ unions took part in a provincewide strike where approximately 200,000 workers walked off the job.
Negotiations have stalled between the province and the unions, which have been without contracts since September.
Two key issues for secondary school teachers, the OSSTF says, are the province’s planned increases to class sizes and mandatory e-learning courses.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has taken issue with what it says is the government’s lack of commitment to full-day kindergarten.
Members of all four unions have also challenged the province’s legislation that caps wage increases for all public sector workers at one per cent.
The unions are looking for salary increases of two per cent annually.
The province contends that compensation has been the main sticking point in negotiations.
Other boards taking part in OSSTF's March 5 strike include:
• Rainy River District School Board
• Near North District School Board
• Grand Erie District School Board
• Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board
• Simcoe County District School Board
• Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
• Trillium Lakelands District School Board
• Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board
