OECTA MOVES FORWARD WITH PROVINCE-WIDE STRIKE VOTE

/EIN News/ -- TORONTO, Oct. 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has announced it will conduct a province-wide strike vote.

The OECTA Provincial Bargaining Team has met 17 times with representatives of the government and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association. “We have reached a critical juncture in the bargaining process,” says Liz Stuart, President of OECTA.

“Catholic teachers strongly oppose the Ford Conservative government’s regressive education agenda. The Minister has publicly said the government is prepared to make investments in the classroom, but at the bargaining table they appear determined to pursue their reckless cuts,” adds Stuart.

“To continue making progress, it has become necessary to conduct a strike vote to demonstrate our Association’s solidarity and resolve. The government has not listened to our representatives at the bargaining table, so we will be asking our members to demonstrate they are united and prepared to do whatever is necessary to stand up for Ontario’s world-class publicly funded education system,” says Stuart.

Negotiations can continue while the strike vote is being conducted. “Our priority is to reach an agreement that recognizes Catholic teachers’ vital contributions to Ontario’s society and economy, protects against the government’s cuts, and ensures quality learning and working conditions in our schools,” says Stuart.

OECTA will conclude its strike vote on November 13.

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OECTA represents the 43,000 professionals who teach in publicly funded English Catholic schools in Ontario.

Michelle Despault, Director of Communications
                    Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association
                    416-925-2493 ext 509
                    m.despault@catholicteachers.ca