Talks with Ontario secondary teachers resume, while labour board rules on legality of strike
'They're using tactics to force us to the labour board, and that really is the opposite of bargaining'
A labour board hearing resumes Tuesday into the legality of strikes that are keeping 70,000 Ontario high school students out of class, while provincial contract talks with the secondary teachers' union are slated to get back on track Wednesday.
James Clyke, the Sudbury-area district president with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, fears the labour relations board case is just a stalling tactic.
"I'm just a little bit concerned that they would continue to say that they're urgent to get back to the bargaining table, yet they're using tactics to force us to the labour board, and that really is the opposite of bargaining," said Clyke, who was supposed to testify at the hearings last week, until the board recessed for the long weekend.
Provincial vs. local issues
The Durham, Peel and Rainbow school boards argue the strikes are illegal because teachers are striking over provincial, not local issues.
Clyke argues that isn't true.
"Everything I put forward is local jurisdiction. For them to say that it has anything to do with central issues is disingenuous," he said.
A decision from the board is seen as likely coming Wednesday, just as a fresh round of province-wide talks begins on the big issues of class size and pay, under the wing of a new mediator.
Paul Elliott, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said reaching a settlement is still the focus.
"I think by far that's the most important thing," he said. "Getting to a negotiated settlement on Wednesday or shortly after is by far the most crucial thing."
The Wynne government is seeking a ruling from the Education Relations Commission of Ontario on whether the school year is in jeopardy, should the strikes continue.