McGuinty threatens wage freeze for teachers without new agreements

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has threatened to introduce legislation that would impose a wage freeze if the school boards cannot get new agreements signed in time.

If new contracts are not signed by September 1, old contracts will roll over and give teachers raises of up to 5.5 per cent.  McGuinty feels the province cannot afford this due to the $15-billion deficit this year.

The Ontario Francophone Teachers’ Union and the Toronto Catholic District School Board have signed on with the Provincial government, but the deal remains unpopular with other school boards and unions and does not have the signatures needed to take effect this fall.

A new survey for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario shows strong support for teachers. It asked if the government should negotiate provincially to arrive at mutually agreeable wages and benefits.  Seventy-seven per cent of those polled agreed with that statement.

The poll found that only 19 per cent of those polled believe legislation should be imposed on teachers without negotiations.

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