TORONTO -- Elementary teachers in Ontario have accepted a new deal with the provincial government following months of labour strife.
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario says 91 per cent of its members who voted accepted the deal that was reached earlier this month.
The agreement freezes wages, but guarantees a two per cent raise starting next year.
"It is evident from the result that our members agreed with the Federation that this is the best possible contract achievable within the political and economic context of discussions," said ETFO President Sam Hammond in a news release.
The public school teachers are paid two per cent less than teachers in the French and Roman Catholic school systems, but Education Minister Liz Sandals promises that will be fixed before the next round of bargaining.
Most of the province's public 126-thousand public elementary and secondary school teachers stopped supervising extracurricular activities last fall to protest Bill 115 that imposed contracts with a two-year wage freeze.
The elementary teachers federation also staged a series of one-day strikes in December to protest the legislation.
Sandals issued a statement saying the two sides have come a long way to rebuilding their relationship.
"All parties showed a willingness to seek common ground to support our shared goal - ensuring the highest level of student success. The result is an agreement that is fair for taxpayers, federation members and school boards, and most of all, Ontario's students," she said.
The federation represents 76,000 teachers and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.
