There is likely a big escalation on the way in the labour showdown between the province and education workers.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union representing approximately 55,000 education workers, is set to hold a news conference along with the Canadian Labour Congress, the Ontario Federation of Labour, and leaders of other private and public sector unions to discuss the growing fightback against the Ford government’s Bill 28.
CityNews 680 in Ottawa reports that two separate union sources confirm that at this news conference, there will be a call for a general strike in Ontario beginning in a week, on Nov. 14.
Sources say multiple unions are on board, and in the lead-up to a possible general strike, there will be escalating job action.
CUPE’s president Mark Hancock confirmed that the union would hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 7 “to talk to journalists about the growing fightback against the Ford government’s Bill 28.”
A general strike would see several participants ceasing their economic activity in Ontario in an effort to bolster the bargaining position of a trade union to reach a common social or political purpose.
CUPE Ontario also announced a “political protest” would be held outside Queen’s Park on Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. against Bill 28.
“Bill 28 undermines our most foundational rights and freedoms, forces a terrible contract on education workers, violates workers’ constitutional right to bargain fairly, and pre-emptively deems a strike illegal instead of continuing with negotiations,” CUPE Ontario said in a statement on Sunday, Nov. 5.
This development comes as the province’s labour board determines whether CUPE’s ongoing work stoppage is breaking the law.
CUPE maintains job action is a form of legitimate political protest in response to the historic bill passed on Thursday that imposes a contract on them by overriding certain charter rights.
The strike closed numerous schools across the province Friday, with even more set to shut on Monday should the work stoppage continue.
It appears the general public is on the side of the workers in this contract dispute, with a recent poll from Abacus Data showing six in 10 blame the government for schools being closed, and 71 per cent want the province to negotiate a fair deal with the education workers rather than continue with its current approach.
Half of those asked also think it was a bad idea for the government to use the notwithstanding clause, while only 36 per cent think it’s a good idea.
~With files from The Canadian Press.
