Ontario’s English Catholic teachers are set to hold their second province-wide strike after an agreement wasn’t reached during negotiations with the provincial government on Monday.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) released a statement saying negotiations concluded without an agreement and that its members will be moving ahead with a province-wide strike on Tuesday.
“We understand the difficulty this creates for families, but we know most Ontarians agree that these actions are necessary to help us reach an agreement that will protect students in Ontario’s world-renowned publicly funded education system over the long term,” said OECTA President Liz Stuart in a statement.
Stuart also said the union will be ready to return to the negotiating table when the mediator calls it back.
A statement from Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the government is also focused on continuing contract talks.
“We remain available to meet at the negotiating table at any time, to engage in good-faith bargaining, and reach a deal that provides stability for our students and keeps them in class,” he said.
Tuesday’s strike action is one of many education labour disruptions scheduled for this week as all four major teachers’ unions are engaged in some form of job action.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation has walkouts planned at select boards on Tuesday. The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has several rotating strikes planned this week and is also set to hold a province-wide walkout on Thursday.