Support staff at all public board schools in the city will only be doing minimum work as part of their labour dispute with the provincial government.
David Wright of the Lakehead Public School Board tells us schools are ready to handle any issue.
He explains administration and non-union staff will handle any issues which arise from the job action.
Custodians, maintenance workers, and cafeteria staff are affected by the work-to-rule campaign.
They are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees who are tied to the province-wide bargaining which took place on the weekend in Toronto.
A spokesperson for Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board says their schools will not be affected because their workers don’t belong to CUPE. But, there are other schools throughout the province that are.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce expressed his disappointment in the breakdown, but he’s looking forward to continued discussions. He noted they’re working as resolving issues such as compensation, job security and funding for extra staff.
But, the minister adds the big issue is rising absenteeism rates.
