“This has been a very prolonged and difficult bargaining process. We are very grateful for the support and unwavering solidarity of our members, and the public who have continued to stand up for public education and the supports that our students and educators need now and in the future,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has reached tentative central agreements with the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and the Council of Trustees’ Associations.
Separate tentative central agreements have been negotiated for ETFO’s teacher/occasional teacher and education worker members.
President Hammond added that “while ETFO’s Provincial Executive has endorsed the terms of these tentative central agreements, the decision to accept them ultimately rests with ETFO’s 83,000 members.”
ETFO represents elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province. Its Building Better Schools education agenda can be viewed at BuildingBetterSchools.ca.
ETFO will review details of its tentative central agreements and ratification vote process with ETFO local leaders and members next week.
Meanwhile, the Ontario Secondary School teachers’ Federation and the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens remain without deals.
Since 1997 it was the first time that teachers and education workers from Ontario’s main education affiliates were protesting against budget cut in education. Nearly 200.000 teachers and education workers were on strike across 72 school boards, affecting nearly 5.000 schools across the province.
All public schools in the province will remain closed for at least two weeks following March break amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
