Teachers' union says government violated bargaining rules over reading memo

The union representing elementary school teachers in Ontario has filed a complaint with the province's labour relations board, accusing the government of failing to act in good faith by issuing new requirements on reading screening during bargaining.

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which is in negotiations with the province over a new collective agreement, says the government violated its bargaining obligations over a memo it released on July 28.

ETFO says the memo requiring elementary school teachers to conduct mandatory early reading screenings twice a year for students in year two of Kindergarten through Grade 2 violates good faith duties because early reading screening is a subject of central bargaining.

The union also says a statutory freeze is in effect, meaning the terms and conditions of the former collective agreement remain in full force.

ETFO notes the memo conflicts with the terms of that collective agreement because it ignores language that allows teachers to exercise their professional judgment when implementing reading screenings.

The province's memo says the new requirements on reading screening must be "implemented in alignment with collective agreements" and that "where there is a conflict between the memorandum and a collective agreement, the collective agreement prevails."