Ontario elementary teachers, province to return to bargaining table
Two sides looking to establish new collective agreement
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) says it has accepted Education Minister Liz Sandals' invitation to return to the bargaining table.
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"We learned at 5:00 pm today that Minister Sandals has called upon ETFO to return to the bargaining table. ETFO has been ready to return to the table for two weeks to bargain a fair and reasonable collective agreement specific to ETFO members," said ETFO's president Sam Hammond in a Tuesday news release.
The announcement of resumed talks come just hours after ETFO filed an unfair labour relations complaint to the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
In a news release, ETFO says the province failed to "bargain in good faith by setting parameters for continuing collective bargaining."
Negotiations between ETFO and the province and the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPBSA) broke down on Sept. 11 after seven days of bargaining.
ETFO members have been working without a collective agreement since last year.
A time and location for the next round of negotiations has not been determined.