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Sudbury teachers' pensions unaffected after 'illegal' strike

High school teachers with the Rainbow District School Board and two other boards who went on strike last spring will be able to collect full pension credits for that time.
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Members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation picket outside of Lasalle Secondary School April 27. The teachers are on strike until further notice, making students worry about what's going to happen to their school year. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen.
High school teachers with the Rainbow District School Board and two other boards who went on strike last spring will be able to collect full pension credits for that time.

That's despite the fact that the strike was illegal, national media is reporting.

The Globe and Mail said the Liberal government quietly changed the rules of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to allow teachers who walked off the job last spring to accrue pension credits for the time they were off the job.

Normally, that wouldn't be allowed during an illegal walkout.

The Ontario Labour Relations Board deemed the strikes “unlawful” May 26, and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation members in Sudbury and other affected boards returned to work.

Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals said she allowed the teachers to make pension contributions because they didn't know the strike was illegal. But the union should have known better, she said.

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