Ontario’s teachers will likely be heading back to school without collective agreements in place as the major teachers’ unions say little progress has been made since their contracts expired last year.
With bargaining dates scattered over months, talks between the four major teachers’ unions and the Ford government have lost momentum. The chance they reach a deal by September is unlikely.
President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), René Jansen in de Wal, said the discussions have been very frustrating so far.
“We started bargaining last July … the fact we’re still here is a bit disappointing,” he said. “I’m used to being in bargaining that’s a little bit more structured for success, [the] odd days that we’re getting aren’t structured for success.”
Since last July, OECTA has had 28 bargaining dates. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) has had 25.