TORONTO, Ont. – Public elementary teachers will end strikes and not step up their protests against Bill 115 if the Ontario government agrees not to impose contracts on them and school boards.
Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), said he’s offering a solution to what he calls the province’s dysfunctional and chaotic relationship with teachers.
The teachers staged a series of one-day rotating strikes across the province over the last two weeks.
Hammond calls the legislation dangerous and said it infringes on their right to collective bargaining.
He said Premier Dalton McGuinty is wrong to say the fight is all about pay, adding the union is willing to accept a two-year wage freeze.
“Let’s all of us take a pause, if you will — don’t impose that collective agreement Dec. 31, allow a new premier to be elected, and let us work with that new premier,” Hammond said.
He won’t spell out the details, but he said expect things to get worse.
“This will aggravate the situation for parents, students at schools in every community across this province,” Hammond said.
Education Minister Laurel Broten told union leaders to reach local deals before the Dec. 31 deadline, which might be a hint at her intentions.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents workers and support staff in both the public and Catholic school boards, said its members are also planning political protests if new contracts are imposed after the Dec. 31 cutoff for bargaining.
Hammond’s news conference opened with a moment of silence for the 26 people killed last Friday at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn.
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Excuse me all, there are many doctors, veterinarians, lawyers and phd from many different countries, latest stats show that also engineers , computer specialists from India and China well above the rest of the world, what has happened in Canada and USA is that immigration have landed these talented people in a delimna, where every professional organization has made it difficult using laws and regulation endorsed by the law society of Canada to make it impossible to get ahead , so as to try and safeguard local professionals, what they did not realize is that the cost of educating local professionals have gone up so high, that they will demand high salaries to pay off education loans and live the dream why, because they will not have the dignity to work for minimum wage, or two jobs, even in tough economic times to pay off their debts or enforced payments be it child support or other sharks getting you from your mistakes while partying!! safeguard your competition in the name of safety and what will happen that so much will be spent on safety rules that the average “Joe”cannot afford it, even if he or she has four jobs!!
Everyone knows the High school qualification is too law in these days. The teachers need 4 years university and 1 year post-university while the police officers need only high school or less to enter their field. We wonder how the cops in Ontario, get more salaries and benefits than the highly educated teachers. What is going on in Ontario?
Cops can go right into the workforce with a high school diploma and teachers need 4 years university and 1 year post-university in order to enter the field of education.
2 year wage freeze? To get their salaries and benefits in line with the private sector, they need to be willing to accept a 10 yr wage freeze! When teachers make as much as cops, then something is wrong.
NO NO NO, Sam, don’t blink!
Bill 115 must go before ANYTHING happens.
We have seen what happens when this government promises something – No Thank You!
impose contract,that’s the way to go.If they the teachers don’t show up,do what Reagan did with the traffic controlers,fire them and hire teachers that want to work.Enough of this nonsense.Close the schools for six months if you have to and reimberse parents for child care,problem solved.