Secondary Teachers’ Strike Confirmed

Over 42,000 high school students could be enjoying a long weekend as talks continue between the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the Peel District School Board.

All regular programs for grade 9 to 12 students are cancelled, along with extracurricular activities, field trips and school events.

Buses for secondary students will not operate, but those for elementary students and provincial schools will continue.

The Peel board’s eLearning courses will not continue. Night school classes are cancelled as well as both elementary and secondary international language classes.

As the school board and the union representing its high school teachers remain at odds in contract negotiations, it’s unknown when almost 42,000 secondary school students will be able to return to classes and close out their academic year.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) announced April 21 teachers in Peel would walk off the job May 4 if a local collective agreement was not reached. Since the union gave that notice, talks between the two sides have intensified with a flurry of meetings.

Neither side would publicly detail the contentious issues presenting obstacles to a new labour deal.

OSSTF District 19, which represents teachers in local public school high schools, had said school board negotiators had refused to address union concerns in any meaningful way at the bargaining table.

In turn, Peel board emphasized the big ticket contract items, such as salaries, must be handled in talks being carried out with the provincial government.

However, OSSTF has complained the provincial government, as well as school boards, are focused on stripping current contracts, removing class size caps and limiting time available for teachers to support students.

Agencies/Canadajournal