Ontario education workers served the Ontario government a five-day strike notice, according to the province's minister of Education and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).."I think it is entirely unfair to children. It's unnecessary," said Stephen Lecce, Ontario's minister of Education. ."We should be having these discussions at the table, to get a deal both for members and for our kids. And I think we are all disappointed this is the path the union has taken..Lecce said since talks between CUPE and the Ontario government resumed, multiple offers that would add "hundreds of millions of dollars across the sector, especially for lower income workers," was floated. But CUPE, which represents over 55,000 school board workers, turned these down.."This government will stay resolved and stay focused at the table to get a deal, especially knowing that we've offered a better option with more money — a significant increase, hundreds of millions of dollars more for lower-paid workers.".A statement from CUPE's Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU) said the central bargaining committee was able to reach a deal with the province on wages, but the government "refused to invest in the services that students need and parents expect.".Laura Walton, president of CUPE's OSBCU, said in a Twitter thread it was "incredibly disappointing" the Ford government refused to "give students the type of learning environment they need.”.“We hoped they’d recognize the urgency of workers’ plea for resources in our historic strike vote. We hoped they’d respond to last week’s show of parent & worker solidarity. Yet they came back without a single cent for students. They’ve left us no choice," she said..At a news conference on Wednesday, Walton said Ontario offered workers a $1 an hour raise for each year of a collective agreement. This would equal a 3.59% raise.."Let me be clear, that's a win for workers. But it's not enough," she said..CUPE demanded for education workers an 11.7% annual raise, overtime at twice the regular pay rate, 30 minutes of paid prep time per day for educational assistants and early childhood educators, and an increase in benefits and professional development for all workers..The provincial government claimed CUPE's demands, which amount to a nearly 50% increase in compensation, are unrealistic. "I have to make sure I'm a prudent fiscal manager of the taxpayers money," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said last week during a press conference..Last week, Ford announced he would rescind the province's controversial notwithstanding clause, which took away education workers right to strike, if CUPE returned to the negotiating table. The law was then repealed Monday..Walton told reporters Ford's government has five days before CUPE's strike notice period expires.."That is five days for this government to recognize the opportunity that they have to make a difference in the lives of two million Ontario students," Walton said. "Come forward with a deal that truly helps students catch up."
