Ontario invites school boards to the bargaining table / Treasury Board wraps up bargaining blitz
Ontario school boards could be included at bargaining table
TORONTO — Province-wide bargaining for teachers and their support staff was introduced by Ontario’s education minister at the end of October.
The School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, introduced on Oct. 22 by education minister Liz Sandals, would include trustee associations and school boards during negotiations.
Should the legislation pass, employment contracts could only be approved if backed by the union, government and school board.
Sandals said her proposal establishes a clear process during labour negotiations and defines roles of key players.
"The proposed model would feature a central bargaining table where key issues with province-wide impacts, such as pay and benefits, would be negotiated," she said. "Local bargaining would also occur where school boards and local federations and unions would negotiate local issues."
As part of the act, matters specific to union and school board dealings would also be included as part of collective agreement provisions.
The move was lauded by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA), which said the legislation would solidify its position as a leader during negotiations.
"We are extremely pleased to see that OPSBA has been named in this legislation. A key OPSBA priority for more than five years has been to secure a legislated, fair structure and process for effective provincial bargaining," a statement from the association reads. "Our goal in this regard is to bring stability to the entire education sector. The introduction of the bill is the first step in seeing this become a reality."
Treasury Board wraps up collective bargaining blitz
OTTAWA — Canada’s border agents reached a tentative agreement with the federal government on Oct. 23, signifying an end to the Treasury Board’s collective bargaining blitz.
Following eight months of negotiations — which saw the union filing unfair labour practice complaints — more than 8,700 staff at the Canada Border Services Agency were encouraged by their union to ratify the deal.
"This agreement is consistent with settlements reached by other federal law enforcement workers and maintains the wage parity that we achieved in the previous round of negotiations," according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada. "In terms of compensation, scheduling rights and arming protections, this agreement is dramatically better than the final offer submitted to our team in the spring — and that the government attempted to force a vote on this past summer."
According to PSAC, the deal includes a 5.25 per cent wage increase over three years, as well as an additional $1,750 yearly allowance for inland enforcement, criminal investigations and regional intelligence officers.
Non-uniformed officers will get an annual allowance of $1,250 and a $500 signing bonus.
The tentative agreement also ups bereavement leave and improves seniority and severance provisions.
Minister Tony Clement, who helms the Treasury Board, said the agreement concludes the current round of negotiations with the public administration.
"During this round of collective bargaining, which began in 2011, we have reached 27 agreements with 17 different bargaining agents in the core public administration through balanced and consistent negotiations," Clement said in a statement. "All of this work has been guided by the government’s firm commitment to reaching fiscally responsible settlements that are fair to Canadian taxpayers and employees."
