After more than a year and a half of negotiations, members of the Association of Franco-Ontarian Teachers (AEFO) voted 93% in favor of a strike mandate, the union announced Friday.
“This resounding vote in favor of yes demonstrates beyond any doubt that Franco-Ontarian teachers intend to repel the offensives of the government and the CAE [Conseil des associations d’employeurs, qui représente les conseils scolaires] », declared in a press release the president of the AEFO, Anne Vinet-Roy.
“We find their proposals unacceptable, which limit support in the classroom and which will amplify the glaring shortage of teaching staff. It is the survival of our French-language education system, as well as the quality of learning offered to students that is at stake,” she added.
This does not mean that the 12,000 teachers of French-language elementary and secondary schools in Ontario will immediately go on strike. “The objective of the AEFO is not to trigger a strike at all costs, and we have the firm intention of continuing the negotiations in good faith,” assured Mr.me Vinet-Roy.
The strike mandate is, however, an additional negotiating lever for the union, whose collective agreement has now expired 17 months.
“It is disappointing to see that the AEFO has rejected all possibilities to sign an agreement that offers stability to students and families,” responded in writing and only in English, the Ontario Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce.
“We have already reached agreements with the largest teachers and educators unions in the province,” recalled Mr. Lecce. The federations of English-speaking secondary and elementary teachers have in fact reached an agreement with the Ontario government, and have chosen to settle certain clauses in arbitration. “We urge AEFO to end the delay and sign a fair agreement that ensures peace and stability for French-speaking students. »
Last December, members of the AEFO board of directors accepted the appointment of a conciliator by the Ontario government to facilitate the negotiation process. The next sessions will take place on January 31 and 1er and February 2.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.