Strikes Continue Today In Oxford County

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Tuesday, 11 February 2020 05:37

This is the second day in a row teachers will be holding rotating strikes across the province.

OXFORD COUNTY - Downtown Woodstock will once again be packed with teachers walking the picket lines today.

ETFO members are doing a province wide strike today, meaning public elementary schools will be closed to students.

ETFO members conducted rotating strikes yesterday, which impacted Thames Valley and this is the second straight day of no school for thousands of students in Oxford County.

Meanwhile, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association is taking extra administrative action starting today.

This means, OECTA members will only be performing their scheduled teaching and supervision duties and will not accept additional tasks or assignments.

Here is a complete list of ETFO labour action dates:

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 last week 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."

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce issued the following statement on Tuesday in response to returning to mediation with the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO).

"We look forward to the opportunity to negotiate to reach a settlement that keeps students in class and ends the union-led disruption that is affecting so many students across the province. Parents expect all parties to meet at the negotiating table and have meaningful, student-centric discussions.

We continue to ask the unions to come to the table with realistic proposals that prioritize student success. Enough is enough. Students should be in class."