Statement by Minister Sandals on OSSTF

Written by Ontario Newsroom on 02 April 2013

Ontario Minister of Education Liz Sandals

Sunday, March 31st, Liz Sandals, Minister of Education, issued the following statement about the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF):

“Over the past number of weeks, we have been having positive, collaborative discussions with our education partners. Those discussions have been critical to rebuilding important relationships inside and outside of our schools and have already delivered results for students, parents, teachers and support staff, with the gradual return of extra-curricular activities at both elementary and secondary schools.

Our objective since the beginning of these discussions has been clear – repair the relationship so that we can focus on continuing to build one of the best education systems in the world.

Our fiscal constraints have also been clear. We have indicated on many occasions that anything we agree to with our partners must reflect our current fiscal situation and fit within the Ministry’s funding envelope. Recognizing this reality, our discussions have been focused on ensuring fairness and consistency in the application of the current agreement.

I am pleased that we have come to an agreement in principle with OSSTF that is focused on the fair and consistent application of the existing collective agreements, while reflecting the ministry’s fiscal situation. The government and OSSTF have been able to resolve implementation concerns identified in a number of areas including: sick leave, maternity leave, retirement gratuity, unpaid days, and local bargaining.

Details of the agreement will be shared with OSSTF members over the coming days, during the union’s approval process. In order to respect the process and the media blackout agreed to by both parties, I look forward to sharing details once OSSTF’s process is complete.

I am pleased that through hard work and a collaborative approach, we have been able to address some concerns of OSSTF members, and that we have helped restore an important relationship with a valued partner.”