The Lambton-Kent District School Board is ready and waiting to respond to potential strike action by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO.)
“We received notification late Monday night that ETFO provincial is in a province wide strike position effective Monday, the 11th. We know that to be true because the provincial bargaining is broken down with ETFO. Clearly they are at an impasse with the province,” Jim Costello, director of education with the Lambton-Kent District School Board told the Sydenham Current.
Costello said a meeting is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon (May 7) with the Lambton-Kent ETFO executive and the school board.
“At that meeting they will inform us as to what their plans is for Monday,” he said. “They have a number of options as to how they are going to implement this strike action. We will find out tomorrow what their plans are and we will be communicating with our parents shortly after probably in the form of a letter going home Friday as well as updates provided on our website.”
Costello said it is inappropriate for him to speculate what ETFO will do, but the range is from full strike to rotating strike, to work to rule.
“There are a number of different options there,” he said. “We will be looking for something that doesn’t compromise our demands that will be that the safety of students isn’t comprised and that people do their job at least until the completion of the Collection Agreement. ”
Costello said the school board has a labour relations manual that provides and sets up different strategies for how to react to each of the different scenarios the unions could present.
“So depending on what action they take, we will have an appropriate reaction. For the most part they will be expected to be forthright with us, telling us very clearly what they are going to do.”
Costello added: “Our local relations are very good, very amicable and respectful. They will be clear with us and then we will be very clear with them as to the actions we are going to take. If there are any points of contention I think we will be able to iron those out tomorrow afternoon. We expect things will go as smoothly as possible.”
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