Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario votes in favour of strike action
Posted October 18, 2023 2:40 pm.
Last Updated October 18, 2023 4:12 pm.
An overwhelming majority of public elementary teachers in Ontario have voted in favor of strike action.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) members voted 95 cent in favour of a strike if necessary.
“This strong strike mandate sends a very clear message to the government,” ETFO President Karen Brown said in a release.
“Our members have been working for over a year without a contract, and their patience has run out. We need the government to stop stalling and start negotiating seriously on our members’ key priorities, like providing more supports for students with special needs, acknowledging the staffing crisis in education, putting a fair compensation offer on the table, and addressing violence in schools.”
Negotiations are still underway, however, and a strike deadline has not been announced.
Ontario’s Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, called the news of the strike mandate “extremely disappointing” in a statement released on social media, accusing ETFO of “rejecting every opportunity” to secure a deal.
ETFO represents around 80,000 public elementary teachers and occasional teachers and 3,500 early childhood educators and support staff.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association is also holding strike votes Wednesday and Thursday.
The union representing public high school teachers has agreed to a bargaining process with the government that will see the parties keep negotiating until Oct. 27 and then send any outstanding issues to be resolved by arbitration, eliminating the possibility of a strike.
