This week the Ontario government imposed the most recent and very highly disputed contract on Ontario teachers. Under Bill 115, strike action is illegal so the teachers unions are reluctant to call for strike in protest of the loss of bargaining rights. The students returning to class will still have no extra-curricular activities, and the demands of the teachers are still being egregiously ignored. Even with the bill's imposition, the tenuous situation has not been alleviated at all.
This is a very sad situation for teachers and also for those of us who have currently chosen this profession. It seems we will not be given special privileges any longer, although our behaviour is expected to reflect a higher standard of grace.
The government has said they will repeal Bill 115 by the month's end, but this just after they have used it? What is the sense in that? It seems this is being used as platform for posturing in the current Liberal leadership race, but hopefully the government is not allowed to keep its place in power after such abuses. Workers do not exist in the same climate that called for unions to begin with, but with governments like this it is clear there is still a need for them. Public workers have it much better than those in the private sphere for sure, but they are subject to the whim of the government of the day and some surety is necessary.
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