OSSTF announces another 1-day school strike on Jan. 15

The union representing most of the province’s public high school teachers announced Friday that it will be striking again on Jan. 15 in certain school boards across the province.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) said in a news release that on the same day, union members in other school boards will also hold information pickets in front of schools and at MPPs’ offices.

“The Minister of Education continues to peddle the false narrative that this dispute is about compensation,” said OSSTF President Harvey Bischof in a statement. “And yet, when we offered to call off our most recent job action in exchange for class size and staffing guarantees — issues entirely unrelated to compensation — the Ford government chose to reject that offer rather than keep students in classrooms.”

CBC Toronto has reached out to the provincial Ministry of Education for comment.

All OSSTF members will be striking in these school boards:

• Keewatin-Patricia District School Board
• District School Board Ontario North East
• Moose Factory Island District Area School Board
• James Bay Lowlands Secondary School Board
• Rainbow District School Board
• Bluewater District School Board
• Upper Grand District School Board
• Wellington Catholic District School Board
• Durham District School Board
• Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
• Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
• Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
• Upper Canada District School Board
• Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Grandes Rivières
• Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien
• Provincial Schools Authority

A number of French schools are also affected.

The teachers, who are already conducting a work-to-rule campaign, say they are pushing back against the Ford government’s plans to increase class sizes and introduce mandatory e-learning courses — measures Progressive Conservatives say are needed to trim a $7.4-billion budget deficit.

But the Progressive Conservative government says the key issue at the bargaining table is compensation.

The province has offered a one per cent annual wage increase, but the union is seeking around two per cent.

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce has said in previous interviews that the union has dug in its heels and is being “unreasonable.”

“Fundamentally, strikes hurt kids. Our aim is to keep students in class,” he said.

CBC