A strike that would have closed hundreds of schools across Ontario, including the North Bay area, was averted Sunday night as the province reached a tentative deal with the union representing 55,000 education workers.

The province negotiated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees through the weekend in order to reach a collective agreement, bargaining until just hours before the midnight strike deadline.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the deal represented “incremental success” as contract talks with the major teachers unions continue.

The union says it was able to secure modest wage increases and maintain its existing sick leave plan _ a sticking point for the school trustees.

A strike would have seen 55,000 education workers take to the picket lines while hundreds of schools shut their doors.

At least two dozen school boards across the province said they couldn’t function without the CUPE workers, including custodians, early childhood educators and clerical staff. Ratification votes will be held before the end of the month. 

Lecce, meantime, says he remains optimistic about ongoing teacher contract talks after averting an education workers strike over the weekend.

He says that in reaching a deal with CUPE important lessons have been learned which can be applied to other contract talks.

Lecce says he believes there is a “path forward” in the ongoing negotiations with Ontario’s high school and elementary teachers.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath warns that unless the government reverses school system cuts the remaining talks will be difficult.

 

(With files from The Canadian Press)

File photo by station staff