Ontario Catholic School teachers union reaches an agreement with the Ontario government

DAN CEARNS The Standard

DURHAM/KAWARTHA LAKES: The Ontario provincial government has reached a tentative agreement with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA).

The agreement was announced, on Tuesday, March 5th, by both parties in the negotiation.

“I am pleased to announce, we have reached a tentative central agreement with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), [which], if ratified, ensures no province-wide teacher job action or strikes, in all English-language Catholic publicly funded schools, for the next three years,” Education Minister, Stephen Lecce said in a statement. “For the first time in nearly a generation, Ontario’s government successfully negotiated deals with all teacher unions [which] averted strikes or the withdrawal of services. We fulfilled our promise to Ontario families: to deliver peace and stability to students, as we get back-to-basics in Ontario classrooms.”

OECTA President, René Jansen in de Wal stated, this agreement is “further proof, free and fair collective bargaining works.”

“We want to thank Catholic teachers, as well as the students and families we serve, for their patience, during this exceptionally long bargaining period. Our goal, as always, is to reach the best possible deal to better support all students and teachers, and to address key issues facing publicly funded schools in our communities across Ontario,” his statement added.

The agreement still has to go through OECTA’s provincial executive before being brought to the membership to vote on, in late March.