January 27, 2023
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Crown and OCSTA Not Engaged in Meaningful Negotiations
As outlined in Provincial Bargaining Update #13, and as OECTA President Barb Dobrowolski has expressed to the media, the pace of bargaining to date has been “frustratingly slow.”
Unfortunately, this trend continued on January 25 and 26, when the OECTA Provincial Bargaining Team (PBT) met again with representatives of the Government of Ontario (Crown) and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA), to continue negotiations for the renewal of the central terms of our collective agreement.
The PBT once again came prepared to engage in substantive discussions on key issues that impact your working conditions and students’ learning conditions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of school boards violated members’ collective agreements, taking advantage of unprecedented circumstances. Their actions put members’ health and safety at risk and resulted in the implementation of disastrous delivery models, such as hybrid classrooms. The PBT has made it clear at the bargaining table that this cannot be the norm.
However, the Crown and OCSTA have refused to work meaningfully or collaboratively on this, or any issue to improve learning and working conditions, stalling our progress towards realizing a fair agreement.
As a result of the Crown and OCSTA’s unhelpful approach, the sessions concluded with almost no progress
made. The next bargaining date is tentatively scheduled for Friday, February 10.