Rotating Strikes Will Likely Close Schools for Two Days Next Week

Monday, 27 January 2020 14:13

Public Elementary schools will likely be closed to students for two days next week in Oxford County as the ETFO ramps up strike action.

OXFORD COUNTY - Parents in Ontario, including Oxford County will be left scrambling to find child care next week.

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, announced it will escalate rotating strikes next week if a deal is not reached with the Province by the end of the month.

They will be having a Province wide teachers strike on Thursday February 6th. Teachers will also be doing rotating one day strikes at every school board in the Province next week. For Oxford County will be hit with the strike on Tuesday February 4th.

ETFO President Sam Hammond says they are asking the Province to return to the bargaining table.

“There is nothing to be gained by Minister Lecce avoiding meaningful and fair contract talks other than further damaging the reputation of the Ford government. Educators and parents are not going to accept the government’s deep cuts to public education that only serve to harm the quality of education for generations to come. From ETFO’s perspective, fair contract talks must include: appropriate funding for Special Education; a strategy to address classroom violence; maintaining our internationally recognized Kindergarten program; fair hiring practices; class sizes that meet the needs of elementary students; and compensation that keeps up with inflation. I challenge the minister to send his negotiators back to the table to address these issues because in four months of talks from August through December 2019, his negotiators had no mandate to discuss them.”

The rotating strikes will impact the Province as follows:

February 3: One-day strikes in Bluewater, Grand Erie, Halton, Ontario North East, Renfrew County, Superior Greenstone and Trillium Lakelands school boards.

February 4: One-day strikes in Avon Maitland, Durham, Durham Catholic, Hastings-Prince Edward, Lambton Kent, Peel, Rainbow, Thames Valley and Upper Grand school boards and Campbell Children’s School Authority.

February 5: One-day strikes in Kawartha Pine Ridge, Keewatin-Patricia, Lakehead, Near North, Ottawa-Carleton, Penetanguishene Protestant Separate, Rainy River, Simcoe County and Upper Canada school boards and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre.

February 6: One-day strike of all 83,000 ETFO members.

February 7: One-day strikes in Algoma, Greater Essex County, Hamilton-Wentworth, Limestone, Niagara, Toronto, Toronto Catholic, Waterloo and York Region school boards as well as Bloorview, John McGivney Children’s Centre, KidsAbility,Moosonee, Moose Factory and Niagara Peninsula Children’s Centre school authorities.