Photo courtesy of Canadian Union of Public Employees/Facebook
Disappointment is coming from one union representing education workers with recent comments made by the province’s education minister.
Stephen Lecce spoke this week to reporters on the state of contract talks with teachers and other education workers, noting that he wants to see students in class and extracurricular activities in place when schools reopen in September.
The President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Ontario School Boards Council, Laura Walton, says he should be insisting on bargaining.
“What needs to happen is, rather than Lecce insisting things, what he should be doing is insisting that his team make sure they clear the decks, make sure they get in and get talking and start really bargaining. That’s what you should be insisting upon,” says Walton.
Walton says they have only had two meetings since early June
All that has been done is set the ground rules for more meetings.
“We have also determined what will be dealt with at the central table and what we’ll be dealt with at the local table. What I can say is that we do know centrally and locally that there are going to be opportunities for the workers to really push employers to ensure that they are getting language that allows for the services that students rely on to be there, and that’s what our job is going to be,” notes Walton
The recruitment and retention of workers and adequate funding of services are some of the main issues CUPE’s negotiating team will be bringing to the top of their agenda.
