TORONTO – The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario has reached a tentative deal with the Ontario Public School Boards Association and the Council of Trustees Association.
It marks the second of four major teachers' unions to come to an agreement with the province, potentially putting to rest months of labour unrest that saw union members walk off the job multiple times.
“Despite the many challenges caused by the current pandemic situation, all of the parties continued to work towards reaching a deal that will help to bring some stability to our system during what is obviously an unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation,” said OPSBA President Cathy Abraham in a release issued on Friday night.
“Teachers and education workers will be an important part of guiding our students through the challenging time ahead. This agreement is a recognition that we value the contribution they make to the educational experience of our students every day. We look forward to working together to ensure that we are able to provide an educational experience that that is focused on the success and well-being of our students.”
Teachers and education workers are currently on March Break, but will be off the job until at least April 5 with schools closed to ward off the COVID-19 pandemic.
Details of the agreement have not yet been made public, but ETFO has agreed to suspend all job action until a ratification vote is held.
The education workers portion of the deal was negotiated between the OPSBA and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association earlier this month reached a deal with the province, the first to do so in the current round of labour strife that saw all four unions walk off the job in protests of proposed government changes to education.
