Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he is “literally available 24-7” to meet amid a work-to-rule campaign by 55,000 CUPE education workers.
The Ontario government is bracing for a possible escalation in job action, including the potential of a strike as early as Monday.
Mary Unan, a communications specialist with CUPE, said the union has scheduled a 10 a.m. news conference at Queen’s Park on Wednesday where “there will be an announcement, not just an update.”
Talks with the government recently broke off after a stalemate took hold. Sources close to the negotiations said a deal was almost sealed when CUPE declined the government’s offer on sick days.
On Tuesday, Lecce said absenteeism has been a major concern for his ministry and one that is costing taxpayers millions.
“For every day of sick leave that education workers and teachers gain, school boards and the province face well over $35 million in cost-pressure,” he said.
“In the case of CUPE specifically, the average number of sick days taken exceed 15 days per year. This would include 11 days funded at 100 per cent of salary with the remaining sick days funded at 90 per cent of salary.”
WATCH: Work-to-rule campaign impacts over 3,000 education workers in Durham (Sept. 30, 2019)
Lecce claimed the framework is not sustainable for school boards that face considerable pressure on budgets.
“In some cases, we have seen boards experience cost-pressures of well over 30 per cent to their sick leave funds,” he said.
“When school boards are covering 100 per cent or 90 per cent of salaries for over 130 days, this means that funds are not going to the frontline student experience”
Workers currently part of the job action include educational assistants, custodial staff, administrative assistants and others educational support workers.
When asked about pressures facing workers and understaffing issues, Lecce said, “There is no question that education staff work hard.”
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“I believe our proposals at the bargaining table have been reasonable, and there was not much daylight between the government, the CTA, and CUPE by the end of negotiations on Sunday,” he said.
Global News attempted to reach the CUPE communications team Tuesday night regarding Wednesday’s announcement and current job action, but was unsuccessful.
Lecce claimed even though work-to-rule action has only been in place since Monday, students across the province are being impacted.
“School field trips being cancelled, fundraising events cancelled, after-school activities cancelled – a school is a place where our children should be given opportunity to achieve their full potential,” he said, adding he had a message for parents.
“I want their kids remaining in class, doing what they do best, learning and achieving their potential. And so we’re not going to be deterred from that mission.”
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