Not all high school teachers to return to extracurriculars: union

The union representing the province’s public high school teachers is optimistic about negotiations with the province, but said some teachers may not resume extracurricular activities.

“I want to make it very clear, not all of our members, based on where we are right now today, are going to return to extracurriculars,” Ken Coran, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), said at a news conference on Monday. “That’s an individual decision and we respect our individual members’ decisions and will protect them on a go-forward basis.”

On Friday the OSSTF recommended its members resume the voluntary activities.

On Monday, Coran said “central table negotiations” with the government will likely start this week.

“We want this new government to show us … that there will be fairness, respect, and there will be a guarantee that democratic rights will be protected,” he said.

Four education unions, including the OSSTF, launched legal action against Bill 115 last fall. The legislation that passed in September allowed the provincial government to impose a two-year contract on teachers. The labour groups said the bill violated their right to collective bargaining. Teachers held rotating one-day strikes and suspended extracurriculars in protest.

“It seems as if there is serious bargaining going on at the provincial level and that it’s slowly going to work its way down to the local level,” Annie Kidder, executive director of the group People for Education, said on Monday.

“I have hope now.”

Premier Kathleen Wynne also expressed optimism in talks with teachers.

“My hope is that the vast majority of teachers will return to delivering extracurriculars,” she said on Breakfast Television on Monday morning.

“Bad process got us here … and I’m hoping good process will get us out.”

There’s still no indication yet whether the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) plans to issue a similar recommendation to its members, but Wynne said she was hopeful.

“My hope is that as we talk with the elementary teachers, the same thing will happen there,” she said.

The ETFO did say it appreciated the “inclusive tone” of Wynne’s throne speech last week.

Wynne said the collective bargaining process has to change.

“We need to be able to resolve what the collective bargaining process is going to look like going forward.”

When asked about what the government will do if many Grade 8 students graduating this year decide to go to private or Catholic high schools due to the uncertainty surrounding extracurricular activities, Wynne said: “I’m always going to recommend that parents keep their kids in the public education system.”

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