Oct 31, 2022
By Jane Brown
There is a new offer on the table for Ontario’s 55,000 education workers.
At the same time, Education Minister Stephen Lecce has announced the provincial government has no other choice but to introduce legislation Monday afternoon, “to ensure students remain in class” if workers go out on their planned strike this Friday.
Laura Walton represents the workers and says the revised offer from the province is not significant.
Walton says the government representatives met Sunday with union negotiators and upped their financial offer to 2.5 percent annual increases for those workers who make less than $43,000 and 1.5 percent annual increases for everyone else.
Walton says CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions is prepared to fight any legislation that would prevent education workers from going on strike as they continue to call for 11.7 percent annual wage increases over a three year deal.
She calls the government’s move not just an attack on the lowest-paid education workers, but on labour in general.
Mediated talks are set to continue Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
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