As contract negotiations with the province drag on, Catholic teachers are the latest to set a strike vote.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced a province-wide vote will be held October 18 and 19.
The union, which represents 45,000 teachers in Ontario’s publicly funded English Catholic schools, says the Ford Government has failed to demonstrate real interest to engage in meaningful discussions about the critical issues facing publicly funded education in Ontario.
OECTA President René Jansen in de Wal says despite claims from Education Minister Stephen Lecce that the government is available every day to negotiate, the scope of negotiations has not been finalized and the union has only been provided a few days a month to meet, with only 30 meetings in more than 440 days since it filed notice to bargain.
“We have reached a critical moment in the bargaining process. Catholic teachers have been bargaining with representatives of the Government of Ontario and Catholic school boards for more than a year – with the goal of realizing a fair, negotiated agreement that supports all students, educators, and families.
Earlier this month, officials with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) announced in-person meetings to conduct central strike votes and address bargaining issues will be held across the province from mid-September to mid-October.
