Schools in both the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board will be closed on Monday if a settlement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees is not reached over the weekend.
The TVDSB says that they would not be able to ensure student safety in their schools as more than 3,400 of their employees are CUPE members who will not be reporting to work if an agreement is not reached. The LDCSB is following suit as roughly 800 of their staff members are part of the CUPE.
These closure will affect both elementary and secondary schools in both districts. The school boards have advised that parents plan for child care arrangements if an agreement has not been reached.
The Ontario government and the union representing the province’s education workers are set to return to the bargaining table today and will continue through the weekend.
CUPE represents about 55,000 education workers including custodians, maintenance, IT, early childhood educators, educational assistants and clerical staff across Ontario.
Stay tuned to both the TVDSB and LDCSB’s websites for announcements over the next couple of days.
