Extra Long Weekend for Students in Thames Valley

Wednesday, 5 February 2020 13:25

The ETFO will be doing more strike action next week, including a Province wide strike on Tuesday and rotating strikes that will impact Thames Valley on Monday.

OXFORD COUNTY - The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario is ramping up strike action.

On Thursday they will be doing a province wide strike, meaning all public elementary schools will be closed to students. They will be doing another Province Wide strike on Tuesday February 11th. ETFO members will also be doing rotating strikes all next week. Thames Valley will be hit on Monday, meaning it is going to be an extra long weekend for students and parents in Oxford County.

Here is a complete list of ETFO labour action dates:

Thursday, February 6th;

All public Elementary schools in Ontario will be closed for a province wide strike.

February 7th, the following school boards will experience labour disruption at Elementary Schools:

Niagara, Toronto, Toronto Catholic, Bloorview, John McGivney Children's Centre, Kidsability, Waterloo, York Region, Moose Factory, Algoma, Greater Essex County, Hamilton-Wentworth and Niagara Peninsula Children’s Centre school authorities

Monday February 10th, the following school boards will experience labour disruption at Elementary Schools:

Thames Valley, Upper Canada, Upper Grand, Avon Maitland, Durham, Lambton Kent, Rainbow and Halton.

Tuesday, February 11th:

All English public elementary schools in the province will be closed for a one-day strike

Wednesday, February 12th, the following school boards will experience labour disruption at Elementary Schools:

Algoma, Greater Essex, Limestone, Niagara, Renfrew County, Toronto, Waterloo, Moosonee and Moose Factory District School Authorities and Bloorview, John McGivney Children’s Centre, KidsAbility and Niagara Peninsula Children’s Centre School Authorities

Thursday, February 13th, the following school boards will experience labour disruption at Elementary Schools:

Grand Erie, Hamilton-Wentworth, Keewatin-Patricia, Lakehead, Ontario North East, Ottawa-Carleton, Peel, Penetanguishene, Protestant Separate, Simcoe County, Superior-Greenstone, Trillium Lakelands and York Region School Boards, Bluewater and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre.

President of the ETFO Sam Hammond issued the following statement yesterday in regards to the labour disruption.

“ETFO, school board associations and the government were close to an agreement on Friday that would have been good for students, educators and public education. It would have ensured stability in public elementary schools this week. Then, late that day, the government’s negotiators changed course and tabled impossible options they knew ETFO could not accept.

I want to set the record straight. Unlike the Minister of Education, I was at the bargaining table last week so I know what was discussed. Despite what Minister Lecce is claiming, salary was not addressed during those negotiations, and government negotiators did not sign a letter of commitment to maintain the Kindergarten model.

On Friday, the government’s position around special education funding remained less than half the priority and special education funding negotiated in 2017. This funding was of great benefit to vulnerable students.

An agreement was also within reach on maintaining a long-standing regulation that ensures fair and transparent hiring processes for teachers. Government negotiators then introduced demands for major concessions around fair hiring.”