Teachers 'not happy' to be part of strikes, union says

As some elementary teachers in northern Ontario head back to work, others are still waiting to hear when it will be their turn on the picket line.

Teachers with District School Board Ontario Northeast were part of the province's rotating strike action on Monday.

About 300 English public elementary school teachers took to the picket lines in the first day of rotating strikes across the province and picketed in Timmins, New Liskeard and Kapuskasing.

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario president for that area said teachers felt they had no other choice than to start the one-day strikes.

"They're not happy to be here," Monica Rusnak said

"If you asked them, where do you want to be today? They'd definitely want to be in their classrooms, teaching their students. But they also know that they have to be here because it's a fight for all the teachers — all 76,000 of our members across the province — and it's also a fight for the people in Ontario."

The union said teachers at all school boards will be on the picket line eventually.

Teachers with the Algoma District School Board and North Bay's Near North School Board will soon be legally able to strike. Teachers at Sudbury's Rainbow District School Board are already in a legal strike position.

However, it's the provincial organization — the ETFO — that decides when each local will be on the picket line.

The union has promised school boards and parents 72 hours notice before any strike action is taken.

Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday his government would not interfere with day-long strikes.