Premier Kathleen Wynne says it was goodwill and not cash or benefits that got the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation to agree to bring back extracurricular activities.
“The arrangements that have been reached do not add any money into the contracts,” Wynne told reporters at Queen’s Park on Friday.
“They are all priorities and issues that do not have an impact on the fiscal framework.”
Wynne said what the teachers wanted to hear was that “there would be an ongoing conversation” about collective bargaining in the future.
“It is a very good day for young people in the province. I really believe that we can work together,” she said, adding that similar negotiations are ongoing with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, whose members also withdrew voluntary work after Bill 115 imposed a two-year wage freeze.
In an interview, the premier said she believed timing played a part in the deal. With March Break approaching, “many teachers and support staff recognized that the term was coming to an end, and if they're going to have extracurriculars it was important to get them up and running.”
Opposition parties applauded the agreement but warned it's not a guarantee that schools will get back to normal.
“It's a bit early for Kathleen Wynne to be patting herself on the back, we know there's a number of outstanding issues,” said Progressive Conservative education critic Lisa MacLeod, remaining suspicious the union was offered incentives such as weakening standardized testing that some teachers don't like.
“What concessions were actually made?” she wondered.
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