Teachers plan legal action if bill passes
Members of the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) are planning to reschedule recently proposed strike votes in the face of the province’s anti-strike legislation, which is currently before the Ontario legislature.
The union, which represents 60,000 teachers across the province, will reschedule the strike votes to give members a chance to express their opinions on the proposed bill.
The government has come under fire recently from Ontario teachers for the proposal of bill 115, which will freeze wages and cut benefits. The bill will be voted on at Queen’s Park this week.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has opposed the legislation, but it is expected to pass as Conservative party Leader Tim Hudak has hinted his party will support the bill.
The legislation would force contracts on a majority of Ontario’s teachers and education workers, giving them unpaid days off and fewer sick days, to help eliminate the province’s deficit of $15 billion.
Several teachers’ unions in Ontario are planning to challenge the legislation in court should it pass.
