On Monday, May 4 the Renfrew County District School Board was advised by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) of a provincial strike which would take effect on Monday, May 11.
Elementary teachers recently filed for conciliation in their provincial negotiations and requested a No-Board Report. This initiated the process to have all elementary teachers in the province’s public schools in a legal strike position as of May 10.
At this time it is expected teachers will continue to teach and perform their supervision duties during the regular school day and there will be no change to bus service.
“Our priority during any job action is the safety of our students,” RCDSB Chair David Shields said. “We will continue to provide updates at www.rcdsb.on.ca and will provide more information on the nature of the strike action on Friday, May 8. Your patience and understanding is much appreciated as we work toward a negotiated settlement with our elementary teachers.”
The ETFO strike action relates to central bargaining. The school district does not sit at the central bargaining table; all Ontario school districts are represented by the Ontario Public School Boards Association; and the government of Ontario also sits at the table. At the local level, the school district is continuing to meet with its elementary teachers and occasional teachers, however this is separate from the central table negotiations.
