WATCH: Durham high school teachers are walking off the job
TORONTO – The union representing Ontario high school teachers announced Monday that contract negotiations have resumed with provincial management officials in the ongoing labour dispute.
However, about 24-thousand high school students in Durham Region will still be staying home today as their teachers hit the picket lines.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation decided over the weekend to proceed with strike action after talks broke down last week.
Durham region covers an area east of Toronto that includes Ajax, Whitby, Pickering and Oshawa.
The school board says it had no choice but to close schools because of concern for the safety of students.
Education Minister Liz Sandals says she’s disappointed about the strike but says the government is committed to a bargaining process that is in line with its fiscal plan.
Three years ago the Liberal government legislated contracts and wage freezes on the teachers, angering the unions.
The relationship has since slowly improved but unhappiness is brewing once again as the Liberals try to eliminate a $10.9-billion budget deficit through measures that include “net zero” increases in contract negotiations.
With a file from Global News
- Mother’s Day Miracle: Rare medical intervention saves high-risk pregnancy for Ontario woman
- Mayor says Ottawa will reverse course on Israel national day event after cancellation
- TSX edges off recent record after blowout jobs report, U.S. stock markets mixed
- Teenage boy arrested after stabbing on Pickering, Ont. bus
Comments