Following Ontario Premier Doug Ford's promise to repeal legislation that prohibited them from striking, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will end their protests and return 55,000 education workers to the classroom.."They took on the Ford government, and the government blinked," said Mark Hancock, national president of CUPE. "We've shown that when under attack, our movement is strong and we will stand up for each other.".Hancock called Bill 28, the Keeping Students in Class Act, a "regressive attack that united the labour movement like never before." .Bill 28, included the notwithstanding clause to circumvent any constitutional challenge to the legislation for five years. This would have prevented education workers from engaging in their constitutional right to protest for better wages..With the Ford government committing in writing to repeal the legislation, CUPE and the Ontario government will restart contract negotiations..Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions, said she hopes the union’s gesture of “good faith” in ending its walkout will be met with similar good faith by the government at the bargaining table.."CUPE has agreed to withdraw their strike action and come back to the negotiating table," said Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce. "In return, at the earliest opportunity, we will revoke Bill 28 in its entirety and be at the table so that kids can return to the classroom after two difficult years.".Earlier in the day, Ford said CUPE's demands, which amounted to 50% raises for education workers, were "absolutely ridiculous."."I have to make sure I'm a prudent fiscal manager of the taxpayers money. You just can't throw up your hands and say, 'okay, guys, you're getting 50%.' Then it affects a broader public service, and guess what? The government is bankrupt," Ford said..READ MORE: Ford will rescind notwithstanding clause if CUPE returns to negotiating table.Ford said he didn't regret invoking the notwithstanding clause, claiming he had no choice to do so. "Over a million families and students that have been struggling over two and a half years. We see that their test scores, we see it right across the board. The kids need to get back in into the classroom," Ford said.
