Hours after word broke that Education Minister Liz Sandals planned to introduced back-to-work legislation today for striking members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, the union says the move is proof the government of Premier Kathleen Wynne would rather “legislate than negotiate.”
"Nothing positive can ever come out of a legislated curtailment of a union's fundamental right to bargain freely and to withdraw services when necessary," said OSSTF/FEESO President Paul Elliott in a news release. "This government created the current bargaining process, and we have made every effort to make it work. It's disappointing that [Wynne] and [Sandals] are so eager to subvert that process with legislation rather than roll up their sleeves and take an active role in helping to make the process work.”
That the province is willing to litigate is proof true negotiation was never the province's intent, Elliott added.
"It's clear to us [asking] the Education Relations Commission for a recommendation was nothing more than political cover for a government that has no real commitment to the bargaining process. Like their predecessors who introduced Bill 115 in 2012, this minister and this premier would clearly rather legislate than negotiate."
Elliott said the union will continue to work toward a fair agreement at the central bargaining table.
“But this action by the government today has done nothing to help move negotiations forward," Elliott said.
Original story
It appears Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals plans on tabling back-to-work legislation for public high school teachers this afternoon.
With more than 70,000 high school students in the Sudbury, Peel and Durham regions affected, Premier Kathleen Wynne said last week that if it appeared the school year would be put in jeopardy by job action from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, she would push to legislate teachers back to work.
The Education Relations Commission was to announce this week whether the labour action put the school year in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the Ontario Labour Relations Board was looking into whether the strike was unlawful, after being requested to do so by three school boards, including the Rainbow District School Board.
In a widely reported statement, Sandals said this morning she plans on introducing back-to-work legislation this afternoon after receiving word students in the affected boards would not be able to complete their required course work if the strike continues.
She's calling on the opposition to back the legislation and give unanimous consent to passing second and third reading today.
The strike is in its sixth week.
Sandals did not say how quickly students would be back in class if the legislation passes today.
