TORONTO, Ont. – The provincial government has reached a deal covering 3,000 educational assistants.

The deal was announced by education minister Laurel Broten, Friday.

“Today’s agreement demonstrates our government’s desire to find a mechanism to live within our fiscal realities, but also protect the classroom experience,” she told reporters, Friday afternoon.

The deal includes a two-year wage freeze, one unpaid day off in the second year and the end of the ability to bank sick days.

The province has yet to reach deals with Ontario Secondary School Teachers, the Elementary Teachers Federation or CUPE – the three major unions including public high school and elementary school teachers. These three unions are threatening a legal challenge if the legislation passes.

Broten said automatic pay increases go into effect, Saturday, for the teachers’ union who have yet to sign on.

However, “if and when it passes, it becomes effective as of September 1st, and has a provision that any pay received in contravention of the MOU and the legislation would be clawed back. Boards would have mechanisms to do that work,” she explained.

Legislation to force a wage freeze on those who have yet to agree to the deal is likely to pass next week.

“If passed, the bill would mean that the boards will have to roll back additional pay for teachers and support staff that will roll over [Saturday] for those without agreements,” Broten said.

So far, the government has reached agreements with about half of Ontario’s school boards and 55,000 teachers.

Meanwhile, Dufferin-Peel’s Catholic elementary school teachers have voted 91.8 per cent in favour of strike action should labour negotiations not improve.

In a release, the teachers said the overwhelming support for labour action is in response to the school board’s decision to file for conciliation – a move which the union has criticized.

They add that there has yet to be any meaningful negotiations between the two sides.