TORONTO — Ontario’s education minister intends to introduce legislation Monday that will avert a looming support staff strike and impose a contract on them, a…
Stephen Lecce’s announcement came hours after the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents about 55,000 education workers, announced that it was giving the required five days’ notice to start a full strike on Friday. They are in a legal strike position on Thursday.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions, said the government’s move is not just an attack on the lowest-paid education workers, but on labour in general. Education unions won a court challenge several years ago against the Liberal government over legislation known as Bill 115, which froze some of their wages and limited their ability to strike.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board have all said that they would not be able to operate safely if CUPE members walk off the job.Article content