Parents waiting for word on school strikes

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Parents of public school students across Ontario are playing a waiting game this afternoon… waiting to hear if their teachers will go on strike.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario will release details of their job action plan some time tomorrow. The union says it has not confirmed whether it will strike or do work-to-rule job action.

More than 800,000 students could be affected.

Interim Progressive Conservative leader Jim Wilson is criticizing the Liberals for their lack of involvement in the ongoing negotiations. “Yesterday when talking about negotiations, you said you saw a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Minister, I have news for you: that light was the train that is coming at you and that is going to wreck. So when are you going to get serious about negotiations before you wreck the school year for children?”

Education minister Liz Sandals responded: “They have not informed us offically, they have not informed the boards officially as to whether it will be a work to rule or whether it will be a full withdrawal of services.”

“I know that boards across the province have been sending out notices for parents and saying something is going to happen. I would encourage the union to get on with informing parents what will happen on Monday.”

Teachers with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation are already off the job in Peel, Durham and Sudbury, affecting 70,000 students.