It was a tense weekend across the province after the start of CUPE protests on Friday.
Many parents were left wondering how long their kids would be out of school before a resolution was reached. However, on Monday, November 7, shortly after noon, the Office of the Premier of Ontario released a statement on behalf of Minister of Education Stephen Lecce stating that the strike is has ended.
“CUPE has agreed to withdraw their strike action and come back to the negotiating table,” the statement reads, “In return, at the earliest opportunity, we will revoke Bill 28 in its entirety and be at the table so that kids can return to the classroom after two difficult years. As we have always said and called for, kids need to be back in the classroom, where they belong.”
Doug Ford also released a comment on Twitter, stating, “I’m glad CUPE has agreed to withdraw its strike action so kids can return to class. We’ll be back at the table to negotiate a fair deal — for students, parents, workers and taxpayers.”
Many are celebrating this as a big win for Canadas labour movement, but it remains to be seen if an agreement will be reached now that negotiations have resumed.
“The work of our members is what repealed this bill. This is unprecedented,” said Laura Walton, president of the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), which represents 55,000 CUPE education workers in Ontario. “The organization of the members moved the government to this place, and the mobilization of our members will ensure that a real deal is achieved at the table.”
Shortly after these announcements were made, local school boards including the CDSBEO and UCDSB posted updates on their websites to say that classes will resume on Tuesday.
