Teachers and education workers vow to fight Ford

The struggle continues on the education front. Teachers and education assistant unions are vigorously fighting Premier Doug Ford and his attempts to undermine public education. 

 

The Ford administration has approached the negotiations with education unions across the province in bad faith by creating a series of advertisements designed to turn the population against education unions. After the scripts for the adswere leaked in August, the provincial government attempted to justify the underhanded tactic by trying to deflect blame onto the unions.

 

At the bargaining table, the provincial government is attempting to force unions to agree to all of its terms, without debate or negotiation, threatening to walk out of negotiations if their demands are not met. Meanwhile, the unions seek to maintain the current bargaining structure, where some aspects of collective agreement are negotiated with the provincial government, while others like sick-leave and seniority, are negotiated at the local level with the school boards.

 

Due to the impasse between the provincial government and the unions, the issue has been sent to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for a verdict; there will be hearings on the matter during October. Although the unions do not want things to reach a strike, they are prepared to do so should the provincial government force their hand. Preparations have begun, like the training of picket captains. All teachers and education assistant unions in the province of Ontario will hold strike votesin mid-November, unless an agreement with the provincial government is reached. 

 

By working in synchrony and negotiating together, teachers and educational assistants are demonstrating the strength that comes from workers uniting against the systematic dismantling of the educational system by the provincial government. Support your local teachers and education workers by joining the Day of Action on October 24. There will be rallies all across the province to show that unions and the people of Ontario will not allow the provincial government to continue the shameless gutting of the education system.

 

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