(Toronto) Education workers erupted in the halls of the Ontario Legislative Assembly when Premier Doug Ford repealed special legislation Monday that imposed a collective bargaining agreement on education workers in addition to to prevent them from exercising their right to strike.
Unanimously, Ontario MPs voted to repeal Bill 28. In just 20 minutes, Parliament ruled that “for all intents and purposes, this law has never come into force”.
The province passed the law Nov. 3 to bar 55,000 Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) workers from striking.
But thousands of workers, including teaching assistants, librarians and tutors, went on strike anyway, forcing several schools across the province to switch to remote learning for two days.
Then, last week, Premier Doug Ford offered to withdraw the bill if CUPE members returned to work, which they did.
On Monday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees declared victory.
“I feel justice has been served,” said CUPE Ontario School Board President Laura Walton.
PHOTO CHRIS YOUNG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
CUPE Ontario School Council President Laura Walton
“I think for education workers, this was a battle for the whole province of Ontario. I sincerely hope that this serves as a message that we cannot deprive workers of their rights,” she said.
The government law, which used the notwithstanding clause to guard against constitutional challenges, had set fines at a maximum of $4,000 per day, per employee and up to $500,000 per day for the union.
Both parties returned to the negotiating table last Tuesday.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce was not in the House when the law was repealed. Earlier in the day, during the question period, Mr. Lecce had declared that the government would remain at the table in order to obtain a negotiated agreement to “keep the children in the classroom”.
“It’s our commitment,” he said. It’s what guides us, it’s what the people of Ontario elected us to do. »
Last Sunday, Doug Ford said he had no regrets about using the notwithstanding clause preemptively for a five-year period.
“I have no regrets,” he said. It’s in the constitution. »
According to the Prime Minister, a teachers’ strike “is more devastating” than the use of the notwithstanding clause.
“Keeping the children at home, sending them to their grandparents, employers who call us saying they need their employees, in my opinion it is much more serious, he pleaded. It affects the whole economy. »
This way of minimizing the importance of the right to strike irritates Laura Walton.
“It’s stupidity,” she said. Let’s be very clear, this country, this province, was built by workers exercising their rights – never by politicians denying them those rights. »