The Ontario government has announced its intent to engage in a process with the province’s secondary school teachers’ union to prevent strikes and maintain continuous education, pending approval by the union membership.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce disclosed in a news conference on Friday that, “Through this process, a neutral third party will make binding decisions on all outstanding matters, including central and local agreements.”
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) had previously indicated in a news release that its bargaining unit presidents and chief negotiators had voted overwhelmingly in favor of participating in this process.
“The union will now begin preparations for an internal membership vote that will take place throughout September,” the OSSTF noted. Approximately 60,000 education workers and secondary school teachers across the province will have the opportunity to vote on whether they wish to enter into the proposed process.
Last week, both the OSSTF and its elementary school counterpart, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), had announced their intention to move towards a strike and had requested their members to vote in favor of walkouts.
Lecce also mentioned that the offer to partake in this process had been extended to other unions within the education sector.