Talks between the government, school boards and the elementary teachers’ union are reportedly making progress.
Education Minister Liz Sandals says both sides are slowly moving forward.
“There is progress being made,” with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Sandals told reporters at Queen’s Park on Tuesday.
“(It’s) not hugely fast progress, but there is progress being made and given the history with ETFO – where things have often seemed to be in reverse instead of forward – forward is good,” said Sandals of the rocky bargaining history with the country’s largest teacher union.
“We do seem to be moving slowly forward and this is the only way we’re going to resolve it,” she said.
“We’re there, we’re ready to bargain, and we’ll keep at it.”
ETFO is the only teachers group without a contract. The union will hold its third “Wynne Wednesday,” where they withdraw from extracurricular activities and wear union shirts and buttons.
ETFO members began a work-to-rule last spring that escalated after talks broke off on Sept. 11.
CUPE Education Workers are also staging a work-to-rule as they look for a new contract. That includes educational assistants, early child educators, custodians, librarians, secretaries, and IT staff.
