Ontario's French board teachers are planning a strike vote in the new year as the province's English Catholic teachers and provincial government continue to bargain with the help of a conciliator.
AEFO, the Association des enseignantes et enseignants franco-ontariens, has announced the vote to approve job action will be held between Jan. 24 and 26 if not deal is reached before then.
The union says it has bargained on at least 50 dates with the province and French-language boards, and "discussions have stalled on several issues. AEFO deems it unacceptable that the government and (the boards) continue to insist on proposals that will add to teachers’ workloads and worsen the critical staff shortages that threaten our French language education system," president Anne Vinet-Roy said in a written release, adding the union has also approved a conciliator to help with talks.
A strike vote does not necessarily mean her union's 12,000 members will walk off the job.
Both the French and Catholic teacher unions are under tremendous pressure to reach collective agreements given their much larger counterparts — the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation — have reached deals.
"We've already ratified agreements with OSSTF and ETFO for over 1.3 million students who now have stability," said Education Minister Stephen Lecce. "We urge AEFO to do the same by coming to the table and signing a deal that keeps students in class."
He said "like all parents, we know that students deserve to be in class, learning with their friends and educators without the threat of strikes. We hope that AEFO will come to the table in January with a serious focus on getting this done so kids can benefit from our back to basics focus and stability in the classroom."
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, also known as OECTA, met with the province and Catholic school board trustee association four times in December, after filing for conciliation in November. Its members have already taken a strike vote, with 97 per cent approval.
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OECTA president René Jansen in de Wal said in a recent memo to members that "a number of key issues that members identified as priorities … continue to be met with obstinance from the government and Catholic school board representatives."
The sides return to the bargaining table in the new year, with three dates scheduled in January — the 10th, 11th, and 17th.
Meanwhile, the elementary teachers' union overwhelmingly voted in favour of a four-year deal reached with the province and school boards, with 90 per cent approving.
The Ontario Public School Boards' Association has also ratified that deal.
“We know that the parties have worked very hard for more than a year to reach this agreement and are grateful for their efforts,” said association president Cathy Abraham. “Teachers provide an important service in the daily lives of students and families and the agreement underscores those contributions."
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