Ontario elementary teachers won’t take new strike action if Bill 115 provisions aren’t imposed

Union extends offer until Liberals have a new leader: ETFO

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) said it will stop all rotating strikes and won’t take any new strike action if education minister Laurel Broten doesn’t impose agreements under Bill 115 after Dec. 31.

The bill gives Broten authority to prohibit strike action and impose collective agreements on school boards and locals after Dec. 31. The union said it will extend its offer until the Liberal Party has a new leader.

“The appointment of a new premier will provide an opportunity to take a fresh look at the current collective bargaining impasse and find respectful solutions,” ETFO president Sam Hammond said at a Dec. 21 media conference, calling the bill a “dangerous piece of legislation” that “threatens the very foundations of Ontario’s democratic values and institutions.”

The ETFO represents 76,000 elementary public school teachers and education workers across Ontario, and is the largest teachers’ organization in Canada.

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