November 9, 2022 at 3:21 pm
As the province continues to negotiate with CUPE to reach an agreement on new contracts for 55,000 educators, Ontario’s premier said Wednesday he wants to ensure fair negotiations.
“You have to differentiate between people who make about $40,000. A year, compared to someone who makes $100,000. A year. So I want to work with CUPE and other partners to make sure we take care of the lowest paid workers within CUPE,” Governor Doug Ford explained.
“We have to look at the whole province. It’s a tiny fraction, 55,000 workers. There’s 15 million people paying wages here,” he added.
Workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), returned to work on Tuesday after the government confirmed in writing that it would repeal Bill 28, which uses a despite clause to impose a multi-year contract and outlaw strikes .
Premier Ford said he used the despite clause because strikes were a bigger issue.
CUPE has questioned why the province has yet to repeal the bill, but Ford has promised they will get it done.