Provincial legislation freezing teacher salaries and putting a strike ban in place for the next two years was the focus of a vocal demonstration by 500 union supporters in front of Liberal MPP Liz Sandals’ office Sept. 21.
Organized by the Guelph and District Labour Council, the demonstration called on the government to rescind Bill 115 recently passed in the legislature and under a judicial appeal by three unions representing some 191,000 teachers and support workers across the province.
Sandals, who voted in favour of the bill, was the target of the angry demonstrators shouting “negotiate, don’t legislate,” and “the bullying has got to stop.”
“It’s bullying by the government,” Gundi Barbour, vice president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Upper Grand local told demonstrators. “It’s something we teach our children not to do.”
Barbour said the local union had been negotiating with the school board before the Liberal government brought in “draconian legislation that strips rights.”
She predicted the bill will set a precedent in public sector negotiations.
“They want to freeze all public sector wages for unionized and non unionized workers,” she added.
Labour council president Janis Folk-Dawson said the demonstration was not only in support of teachers, but all workers.
“We’re not here to defend only the workers who were attacked,” she said. “We’re here to fight for every worker.”
Sandals, also attempted to address the demonstrators, but was repeatedly cut off by angry outbursts.
The MPP, a former teacher, welcomed the protesters.
“I’d like to say thank you for showing up here,” she said. “You are mad at the Liberal government which I am a part.”
The comment brought calls for her resignation.
“I have no intention of resigning,” she said. “You can try and defeat me in the next election.”
Sandals did thank teachers for not cancelling extra curricular activities in schools within her riding. Student protests have taken place at schools in Perth, Huron and Grey counties where teachers have cancelled extra curricular activities as part of a provincial protest to back demands for rescinding Bill 115.
“You’re fight is not with the students, it’s with me,” Sandals added, before being advised to go back into her office.
Several demonstrators vowed to work to unseat the MPP in the next election, citing the recent Kitchener by-election won by the New Democrats due to teacher support.
“The loss of trust goes on forever and you’ll see that next time at the ballot box, “ Harvey Biscof, vice president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) local vowed.
Mary Gardner, president of District 18 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) said the legislation represents a “loss of the democratic right to free and collective bargaining.”
