Ontario’s English public high school teachers have approved a proposal to use binding arbitration, if needed, to reach a new contract with the government.
That means there will be no strikes or lockouts because any items that cannot be agreed on at the bargaining table will be sent to a third-party arbitrator.
Karen Littlewood, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, said in an email statement on Wednesday night that the union’s members voted overwhelming in favour of the proposal.
“Now we have the opportunity to bypass traditional bargaining pathways to secure a fair collective agreement,” she said.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he was “pleased” that members voted in favour of the proposal and that it would allow students to focus on their learning.