The provincial government and the union representing French-board teachers will meet with a mediator on Wednesday, a day before the teachers plan to hold their first one-day province-wide walkout.

No bargaining talks are scheduled between the province and the other three teachers' unions.

Rotating strikes are being held by public high school teachers, and public elementary teachers are also targeting a handful of boards each day as well as staging a second, daylong walkout each week that hits the entire province.

"Last Thursday, after two days of bargaining talks, AEFO asked ... for more bargaining dates," said Rémi Sabourin, president of the 12,000-member Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, which represents teachers in the province's 12 French-language boards.

On Tuesday, "a meeting was confirmed for (Wednesday) with the mediator. We are still hoping to come to an agreement, but not at the expense of our students’ learning conditions and of Ontario’s high-quality education system.”

The provincial government and teacher unions have bargained on and off in recent weeks, but have yet to reach any collective agreements.

“We have heard nothing from the mediator,” Harvey Bischof, president of the 60,000-member Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, said Tuesday.

“My interpretation is that the government has not been prepared to suggest to the mediator that they have some room to move and it’s worth getting back together,” he said,

Talks between the secondary teachers’ and province broke off in December, and have yet to resume.

Liz Stuart, who heads the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Federation, said while no negotiation dates are scheduled, “we are in regular contact with the mediator, and of course we are prepared to get back to the bargaining table if she indicates there have been developments that would make negotiations worthwhile.”

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario held three days of talks earlier this month, which broke off with the union accusing the government of adding new proposals at the last minute.

All 83,000 of its members — including teachers and early childhood educators — walked off the job for a one-day strike on Tuesday.

A union spokesperson said negotiators are waiting to hear from the provincial mediator before talks restart.

“Our government has put forward reasonable proposals at the negotiating table, including a commitment to maintain full-day kindergarten, and it is deeply disappointing parents are still seeing repeated escalation at the expense of our students to advance higher compensation, including more generous benefit plans,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce.

“We firmly believe students should be in class, and we continue to stand ready to negotiate and reach a deal Ontario students deserve."

All of the teachers’ unions have been engaged in ongoing job action, which has included submitting bare-bones report cards, or grades with no comments. Public elementary teachers have withdrawn from extracurricular activities.

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Teachers are pushing for extra staff and resources for special education students, and a firm commitment to full-day kindergarten. They oppose the province’s plans for larger class sizes — and the resulting loss of teacher positions and course offerings for students — and mandatory online learning.

They are also seeking cost-of-living raises of about two per cent a year, while the government has passed legislation capping salary increases at one per cent.

Lecce is scheduled to speak to the Canadian Club in downtown Toronto on Wednesday, where elementary teachers plan to picket outside.

A Campaign Research poll commissioned by the Star found that the public is onside with teachers on class sizes and e-learning, but supports the government’s wage restraint.