OECTA Files for Conciliation

TORONTO, June 24, 2015 /CNW/ - The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA), the union representing Ontario's 50,000 Catholic teachers, has filed for conciliation at the provincial bargaining table.

Despite its best efforts in its negotiations with the employer side, comprised of representatives of the government and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association, OECTA has not been able to secure a fair and equitable deal for its members.

"We are frustrated by the lack of progress, and with the intransigence of the government and the Trustees on a range of extremely important issues," said James Ryan, OECTA president. "They want to unilaterally wipe out parts of our collective agreement. We must protect our members and our students' learning conditions."

OECTA members provided their union with an overwhelming strike vote mandate of 94.2% on April 24, yet the Association remained committed to reaching a negotiated settlement. Last month, OECTA announced it would continue to bargain, with the assistance of the Ministry of Labour.

Yet, despite all of OECTA's efforts, the government and Trustees continue to show unwillingness to address the concerns of Catholic teachers.

"OECTA members have been without a new contract for one year, and we are discouraged with the slow pace of negotiations," said Ryan. "We are optimistic that filing for conciliation will provide the impetus necessary for meaningful negotiations to continue, and that we can avoid disruption to classes in the fall."

OECTA represents the 50,000 professional women and men who teach all grades in publicly funded English Catholic schools in Ontario.

SOURCE Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association

To arrange an interview with James Ryan, please contact: Janine Druery, Communications Specialist, 416-925-2493 ext 472, [email protected]