Despite further one-day strike planned for Wednesday, contract talks resume today in the dispute between high school teachers in the province and the Ford government.
Rich Seeley of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation says he is optimistic as the negotiations get underway.
He is hoping enough time has gone by between talks that they can press the reset button and both sides “can sit down and have some progressive talks and hopefully call off the strikes and get people in the classroom and get a deal.”
Teachers are asking for a reduction in class sizes, the elimination of mandatory e-learning and a cost of living wage increases.
Federation members have been holding rotating strikes throughout the province and working to rule in an effort to leverage a contract from the province. Teachers with the Rainy River District School Board were involved in a second round of walkouts last Wednesday.
Further one-day strikes by OSSTF will take place Wednesday impacted twelve separate boards across the province if no deal is reached by then.
Teachers and educational assistants with the Lakehead Public District School Board and the Thunder Bay Catholic School Board are among those to take part.
