Lakehead Public Schools respond to threat of teachers' strike
EFTO says it will inform parents by Friday what to expect from job action starting Monday
Public elementary schools in Thunder Bay will remain open and "operate as usual" during the week of May 11, even as the teacher's union begins strike action.
Lakehead Public Schools received notice Monday night that teachers were planning a partial withdrawal of services, according to David Wright, the board's superintendent of business.
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) president Sam Hammond told CBC News that parents will be told what they can expect from the job action by Thursday night or Friday morning.
Wright said he couldn't forecast what will happen in the labour dispute after next week.
Negotiations at an impasse
ETFO recently received a "no board" report from the province's Ministry of Labour, signifying the two sides are at an impasse when it comes to renegotiating teacher contracts.
The teachers' current contract expired last August, the union said.
Part of the difficulty with this bargaining stems from the new two-tiered system, in which teachers' unions negotiate with both local boards and the province in parallel talks.
"This [the job action] doesn't reflect what's happening locally," Wright said. "Local negotiations are ongoing with ETFO, the tone remains cordial and we're working towards a fair collective agreement."
The president of ETFO's Lakehead local Mike Judge agreed that negotiations with the local board are much smoother than what is happening at the provincial level, particularly over education policy.
"I tell you we're not in this position because of breakdowns over talk about money," Judge said. "This is completely about irresponsible strips to education."