The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) stands in solidarity with the more than 60,000 members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) who are taking one-day strike action to defend our province’s public education system.
The OFL encourages students and parents, its 54 affiliated unions, provincial labour councils, and all labour and community activists to join OSSTF on the picket lines to send a strong message to the government that they must stop the cuts that hurt kids.
“The government’s proposals on class size, staffing, e-learning, and other crucial issues in education undermine the quality of public education in Ontario. It is time for the Minister of Education to bargain a fair agreement with Ontario’s education workers, an agreement that will protect our education system, or step aside and resign,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Patty Coates. “This is a direct attack on students, families, and the workers who ensure the safety and success of our kids. The Minister’s slash and burn education strategy, has clearly not placed the best interests of the students of Ontario at its core,” said Coates.
Recent reports in the media have confirmed that government consultations on education showed that parents were overwhelmingly opposed to larger class sizes. Results of polling done by OSSTF also confirms that 76 per cent of parents said they were concerned that their children would not get the individual attention they need if the Conservative plan to squeeze more students into classrooms goes ahead.
The Ontario Federation of Labour stands against the government’s ill-advised cuts to public education that follow years of under-funding by previous governments; cuts that have resulted in lost services for students and lost jobs for education workers.
Minister of Education Stephen Lecce must heed the calls of parents, education workers, and students. Ontario’s public education system must be a fully-funded system that makes it possible for every student to get the education they need.
“The Ontario Conservative government is sacrificing the education of Ontario’s children so it can offer billions of dollars in tax relief to big business and the ultra-wealthy,” said Coates.
The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.
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To arrange interviews or for more information, please contact:
Rob
Halpin, Executive Director
Ontario Federation of Labour
rhalpin@ofl-org.flywheelsites.com l
416-707-9014
