Ontario teachers awarded additional pay to compensate for wage restraint law

TORONTO — Public high school teachers and elementary teachers will get additional retroactive salary increases to compensate them for constrained wages under a law known as Bill 124.

When the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation reached new contract deals with the provincial government they left some issues to be decided by an arbitrator.

The teachers and government agreed to an additional 0.75 per cent in each of the first two years of their previous contract in order to compensate for lost wages under Bill 124, but the amount for the third year was left to arbitration.

The unions announced today that the arbitrator has awarded an additional 2.75 per cent for the third year, amounts that are on top of the one per cent raises each year that were part of the previous contract under Bill 124.

That law capped salary increases for public sector workers to one per cent a year for three years.

An Ontario court has declared it unconstitutional, ruling that it infringes on the workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The government appealed and the Appeal Court is set to issue a ruling on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press