UPDATE, Thursday, Nov. 3, 11 a.m.
Public schools in Renfrew County will be closed tomorrow, if a labour dispute isn’t settled. The Catholic board plans to keep schools open, but not beyond Friday.
Both school boards expect to be impacted by a planned walk out by Canadian Union of Public Employees workers.
The Renfrew County Public School Board says the stoppage would make secretaries and custodians unavailable that day and that would make in-person learning not possible. Remote learning will be offered.
The Renfrew County Catholic District School Board says some of its custodians are CUPE employees. Although it plans to keep schools Friday, it said if the work stoppage continues into next week, schools will close and it will shift to remote learning.
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.
Public schools in Renfrew County will be closed this Friday, if a labour dispute isn’t settled. But Catholic schools will remain open.
Both school boards expect to be impacted by a planned walk out by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) workers.
The Renfrew County Public School Board says the stoppage would make them without secretaries and custodians and that would make in-person learning not possible. Remote learning will be offered.
The Renfrew County Catholic District School Board says some of its custodians are CUPE employees, but it will continue with in-person learning and bussing will still go ahead.
Meanwhile, CUPE is waiting to hear back from the province on a counter-offer they sent late Tuesday night. A source close to the negotiations, but who is not authorized to speak as a spokesperson, told the Vista National News Desk that members of the union’s central bargaining committee will be available for negotiations Wednesday and Thursday. The province has said it would return to the bargaining table if the mediator requests it.
On Monday, the Ontario government introduced legislation that would impose a four-year contract on the workers; a group that includes custodians, teacher’s aides and clerical workers.
The deal offered by the province included a 2.5 per cent increase annually to employees making less than $43,000 a year and a 1.5 per cent increase to everyone else. CUPE is demanding an 11.7 per cent increase.