Bickering continues between government and teacher’s union

By News Staff

Ontario’s Education Minister showed signs of the increasing frustration with ongoing contract talks with the teacher’s union.

Stephen Lecce responded Friday after the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation blasted the government’s proposal to back track on class sizes.

“Every player at the table needs to be a reasonable and constructive force to get a deal,” Lecce said during an announcement about new child care spaces in Ontario.

“I have been very reasonable. I’m doing everything I can to keep children in the class but it requires two to tango.”

OSSTF president Harvey Bischof says they’re continually offering creative solutions to try and reach an agreement.

“I know that because I’m at the table. I haven’t seen the minister anywhere nearby so he might need a more detailed briefing than he’s gotten so far,” Bischof tells 680 NEWS.

Lecce added that the talks also need to be about more than just compensation, pointing out the union is pushing for a 2 per cent raise.

Lecce says he wants the union to follow along with the government’s 1 per cent cap on public sector salaries.

“We have to be reasonable. Part of the ebb and flow of this negotiation is every party has to have some flexibility and so far it is so deeply one-sided.”

Yesterday, Bischof called the government’s “olive branch” offer misleading, noting it would see the government remove all reference to class size limits, essentially allowing the province to see the number of students per class climb indefinitely.

“Considering they put that on the table yesterday, it’s remarkable that he’s suggesting that compensation is the significant sticking point,” Bischof tells 680 NEWS.

He adds he understands Lecce has been put in a difficult position promoting the “Doug Ford approach to education.”

Contracts with all of the province’s education workers expired at the end of August, and the government has been embroiled in testy negotiations with all of the province’s education unions since the school year began.

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