TORONTO, ON – February 21, 2020 — On Friday, February 28, education workers and teachers represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) in certain school boards (see attached fact sheet) will take part in another one-day, full withdrawal of services in selected locations across Ontario.
OSSTF/FEESO members in other school boards across the province will continue to engage in activities that draw attention to the dangers the Ford government’s agenda poses to publicly-funded education in Ontario.
A limited withdrawal of services, which has been in place since November, will continue province-wide.
OSSTF/FEESO President Harvey Bischof has repeated the Federation’s standing offer to postpone pending job actions if the government agrees to return to, and maintain, the class size ratios and staffing levels that were in place in Ontario schools during the 2018–2019 school year.
“Doug Ford and his Minister of Education continue to claim that they are laser-focused on keeping students in class,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Harvey Bischof. “Yet, for more than two months now, they have simply ignored our repeated offer to do just that by postponing pending strike actions.”
“Despite their hollow claims, the Premier and the Minister are focused on one thing only: their careless, dangerous agenda of larger classes, mandatory e-learning, and fewer supports for the most vulnerable students,” continued Bischof.
“It’s time for the Premier and the Minister to listen to the people of Ontario, abandon their campaign of disinformation, and negotiate, in good faith, an agreement that is good for the students of Ontario,” concluded Bischof.
OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has over 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.