TORONTO-
The Ontario government and education workers are set to return to the bargaining table on Sunday afternoon as pressure mounts for both sides to reach a deal that would prevent a province-wide strike at the end of the week.
Negotiations were scheduled to resume on Tuesday but were moved up after the Canadian Union of Public Employees gave the required five days’ notice for a labor action.
The move positions 55,000 workers, including educational assistants, custodians and early childhood educators, to go on an all-out strike as soon as Friday.
At least three Ontario school boards say they will close schools if support staff completely withdraw their services.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board have said they will not be able to operate safely if CUPE members walk off the job.
Mediated talks between the province and the union broke down earlier this month, with the two sides still far apart on wages.
The gap persisted heading into Sunday’s session as the countdown ticked down to a possible strike.
“No one wants to go on strike, least of all the lowest-paid education workers who can barely pay our bills,” Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Council of Unions of Ontario School Boards, said in a statement Sunday. “Still, we need a significant salary increase and we deserve it.”
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he hoped CUPE would give in to the demands he described as unreasonable, but said the government will do whatever it takes to keep students in school.
“We are at the table with a fair offer that includes a salary increase and maintains the most generous pension and benefits package, but most importantly: keeps children in class,” Lecce said in a press release on Sunday. “If CUPE goes ahead with the strike and disruption, we will act to keep students in class so they can continue to catch up.”
CUPE is seeking annual wage increases of 11.7 percent. the government, for its part, has offered raises of two percent a year for workers earning less than $40,000 and 1.25 percent for everyone else.
Education workers have made several other proposals, including overtime at double the regular pay rate, 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for ECE and educational assistants, an increase in benefits and professional development for all workers.
Aside from the salary proposal, the government’s offer seeks to keep all other areas the same as in the previous agreement, except for a cut in sick leave pay.
The province wants to institute what it calls a five-day short-term disability “waiting period,” during which a worker would receive 25 percent of their normal wages and 90 percent for the rest of the 120 days.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board sent a letter Sunday informing parents that its 195 schools, serving more than 90,000 students, will close if CUPE goes ahead with an all-out strike.
“We are working with our child care providers on a contingency plan and will communicate more information shortly,” the letter said. “Parents with school-age children are encouraged to make alternative arrangements for their families.
The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board together operate more than 100 schools attended by approximately 50,000 students in and around Peterborough, Bowmanville.
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic said students would transition to remote learning at home, while Kawartha Pine Ridge said it would share details about the plans if they receive notice from CUPE about a pending strike.
CUPE members returned a 96.5 percent strike mandate earlier this month.
In 2019, CUPE and the government reached a last minute agreement the day before the workers went on full strike.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 30, 2022.