The agreement comes after a weekend of intense negotiations between the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the province.
“There will be no action tomorrow,” the union’s bargaining team said in a tweet.  “Our members will refer to the schools to continue to support the students we are proud to work with.”
The deal still needs to be ratified by CUPE members.  Voting is expected to begin on Thursday and conclude next weekend.
Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of School Board Unions (OSBCU), confirmed that after 170 days of negotiations, the group has reached a tentative agreement.  However, he did not elaborate on what the deal contained.
“The entire central negotiating committee wishes we could have moved the government to make the investment in public education that you not only wanted, but that you need and that your children deserve,” he said.  “We have done our best to represent the needs and interests of employees.”
“We will continue to do that now by bringing the tentative agreement back to frontline workers for a ratification vote.”
According to Walton, the government made no other concessions over the weekend, adding that the province was “not providing new money for new services.”
“Basically, what this government has told us is that they are not prepared to budge any further.  We bring our members to vote,” he said.
“As a mom, I don’t like this deal.  As a worker, I don’t like this deal … I think it’s failing.”
Despite saying this, Walton explained that the central negotiating committee will recommend that members accept the deal “as needed.”
If CUPE members vote not to ratify the interim agreement, the union and the province will have to go back to the bargaining table.
CUPE previously said the government had come to the table with a 3.59 per cent pay rise for workers.
This is an increase from their previous offer, which included a 2.5 percent annual raise for workers making under $43,000 and a 1.5 percent annual salary increase for those making more.  It was this contract that was imposed on workers in Bill 28 – also known as the ‘Keeping Students in Class Act’ – which also used the absent clause to make it illegal for workers to strike.
The bill was scrapped last week as part of an agreement with CUPE to end the two-day protest that closed schools and return to the negotiating table.
Members and supporters of CUPE take part in a demonstration near the office of Ontario provincial MP Lisa MacLeod in Ottawa, Friday, November 4, 2022. Intense negotiations are set to take place today between the province and education workers ahead of a possible strike.  THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Both sides had agreed to a deadline of 5pm on Sunday to reach a deal to prevent another strike that would affect thousands of students, parents and workers.
Ontario Education Minister Steven Lecce called the deal “a positive outcome for all parties” on Sunday afternoon.
“The biggest beneficiary of this deal is our children, who will have some stability and be able to stay in school,” he said.  “We are grateful to all parties for their cooperation with the government.
“The kids deserve to be in the classroom and I’m proud to confirm that it will be tomorrow.”
Lecce added that all parties received some “incremental wins” in the tentative agreement.
The province is still in negotiations with other education unions, including those representing public school teachers.