Elementary Teachers on Phase One of Work-to-Rule
On November 14, 2019, EFTO announces a
series of meetings in preparation for a
work-to-rule beginning November 26, 2019.
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
(ETFO)
commenced Phase 1 of a work-to-rule on November
26 in the face of the
Ford government's refusal to bargain in good
faith. ETFO represents
83,000 elementary school teachers, occasional
teachers and other
educational professionals who work in the
province's public elementary
schools. ETFO members have gone more than three
months without a
contract.
ETFO president Sam Hammond stated that the
teachers and
other education professionals have been forced
to take strike action
because the Ford government has refused to
address their concerns,
while at the same time engaging in a
disinformation campaign to break
their unity and the broad support they have from
Ontarians.
Hammond pointed out the Education Minister
Stephen Lecce
has been misleading the public by saying that
there are only a few
bargaining issues outstanding when this is not
the case. Large class
sizes, the shortage of supports for students
with special needs, rising
school-based violence and the attempt by the
government to bypass a
2012
regulation to hire teachers on the basis of
qualifications and
experience, are all unresolved issues in these
negotiations.
Hammond noted that the Ford government has
wasted more
than $230 million in penalties to cancel
renewable energy projects,
while at the same time demanding up to $150
million in cuts to
elementary education. That is unacceptable,
Hammond said.
During phase one of the work-to-rule the
teachers will
teach their students but will not participate in
any School Board
related activity including filling in report
cards, attending school
board mandated meetings, and other
administrative functions including
curriculum committee meetings. They will,
however, continue to
participate in extracurricular activities such
as supervising student clubs.
According to ETFO, the work-to-rule will
continue until
the labour dispute is satisfactorily resolved or
the ETFO Provincial
Executive deems that further actions are
required. Workers'
Forum stands with the teachers and
education workers of Ontario.
This article was published in
Number 29 - December 4, 2019
Article Link:
Elementary Teachers on Phase One Of Work-to-Rule
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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