No more striking: Legislature passes back-to-work act

Ontario has passed the Protecting the School Year Act, 2015.

This means, the province said in a news release this afternoon, that the 72,000 secondary students in Durham, Rainbow and Peel district school boards who missed weeks of class after strikes by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation OSSTF won't have to worry about another one before the end of June.

Although an Ontario Labour Relations Board decision on May 26 ruled that the strikes in Durham, Peel and Sudbury were illegal and ended them, it only imposed a two-week moratorium so the OSSTF could, in the board's words, "purge" itself of confusion over what it was striking about. Teachers can strike over issues related to central bargaining (wages etc.), but not over local issues.

In effect, the Board’s ruling could not keep teachers in Sudbury, Durham and Peel from walking off the job again after the 10-day moratorium ended.

“Our government’s first priority is supporting student achievement and well-being," said Education Minister Liz Sandals. "After weeks of strikes, students’ needs are paramount, and what they need most is to be able to complete their school year.”

Passing the Protecting the School Year Act, 2015 guarantees that all secondary students in Durham, Rainbow and Peel district school boards can successfully complete their school year without fear of further interruptions, the province said in a news release.

This legislation ensures that the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation is prevented from legally striking in the three affected school boards for the remainder of 2014-2015 school year.