The vast majority of Catholic teachers across Ontario have voted to give their union the ability to call a strike if it’s deemed necessary.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) said that following province-wide votes on Wednesday and Thursday, its members have voted 97 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.
“Our overwhelming strike mandate sends a clear message to the Ford Conservative government and the representatives of Catholic school boards that Catholic teachers want to see meaningful progress and results at the bargaining table that address the lack of resources, supports, and time teachers need to best serve their students,” said OECTA President René Jansen in de Wal in a news release.
A strike mandate does not necessarily mean that Catholic teachers will walk off the job. However, should contract negotiations with the province break down, the union has the ability to call for strike action.
OECTA is the second teachers’ union to be given the ability to strike this week. Yesterday, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario announced that Ontario’s public elementary teachers had also voted in favour of a strike mandate.
OECTA represents 45,000 teachers in Ontario’s English Catholic schools, from Kindergarten to Grade 12.