ETFO launches strike action

Work-to-rule strike incremental in nature

Members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) launched work-to-rule strike action on May 11.

As part of the action, ETFO teachers and occasional teachers will stop assisting in EQAO testing and will cease preparing report card comments outside of a class list of marks. Additionally, the members will refuse to participate in any government initiatives and activities.

Issues of class sizes and preparation time are major issues, according to the union.

After eight months of bargaining, said ETFO president Sam Hammond, the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association has “demanded numerous concessions and utterly disrespected agreements reached during the last decade of bargaining.”

The work-to-rule will affect all 32 of Ontario’s English public school boards.

Approximately 73,000 teacher and occasional teacher members are participating in the labour action. Members will remain in schools to carry out instructional duties with students and provide extra help.

According to the ETFO, voluntary extra-curricular activities and scheduled field trips will continue for the first phase of the work-to-rule action.

The strike is incremental in nature, the union said, and will continue until bargaining issues are resolved.

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