An overnight ruling that Friday’s planned protest by public elementary school teachers would be an illegal strike proves their fight against Bill 115 belongs in the court — not the classroom, Premier Dalton McGuinty says.The decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board puts the issue “squarely” in the hands of judges who will handle the court challenge of the controversial legislation, McGuinty told reporters at Queen’s Park.
Calling the events of the last couple of days a “roller coaster ride” for parents and students, the premier thanked president Sam Hammond of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario for respecting the 4 a.m. ruling and telling his members to go to work Friday where schools are open.
McGuinty added that president Ken Coran of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation called his office to say high school teachers are scrapping a planned day of protest that would have interrupted classes next Wednesday.
If the teacher unions want to protest the wage freeze bill that limited their collective bargaining rights by imposing contracts on school boards and unions that had not agreed to contracts by the Jan. 1 deadline, they are welcome to do so on weekends or outside school hours, said McGuinty.
He blamed Hammond for putting the government and parents in a tight spot by announcing the protest on short notice Wednesday, leaving little time to react.
“I’m disappointed yet again that parents had to be put through this roller coaster.”
In the weeks before Christmas, Hammond’s union staged a series of one-day rotating strikes across the province, forcing many parents to take days off.
McGuinty also called on the powerful unions to ask their members to resume doing extracurricular activities with students, such as coaching sports teams and helping with clubs.
“Teaching is a very high calling…don’t withhold goodwill from your students,” added the premier, who is heading off on a trade mission to China.
He singled out ETFO and OSSTF for choosing to not negotiate contracts with the government, unlike the Catholic teachers and unionized civil servants did, who reached wage freezes that will help the government save $6 billion over three years as it fights a $14 billion deficit.
Opposition parties said McGuinty is responsible for the troubles because he took a hard line on teachers with Bill 115.
“It’s been a very inconvenient day,” said Progressive Conservative education critic Lisa MacLeod, whose party supported the bill.
New Democrat MPP Cheri DiNovo said “this is what happens when you decide to go to war.”
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Rob Ferguson
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