Premier Kathleen Wynne has called leaders of Ontario’s school boards and teachers’ unions to a private meeting Friday morning to stress both sides’ duty to reach a deal that would avert the labour chaos threatening 2 million students this fall.

A government source said the premier plans to remind all parties they have a shared responsibility to students and parents to get back to the bargaining table and hammer out new contracts that would spare students from kindergarten to Grade 12 the sweeping work-to-rule campaigns.

At the moment, no talks are scheduled between English-language school boards and any of the three big teachers’ unions, all of whom left their bargaining tables over school board proposals they argue would lower the quality of education, from bigger classes or less teacher control over how they use their prep time. Only the French-language school boards continue to bargain with their teachers’ union.

While the government has warned there is no new funding available for education, Wynne and Education Minister Liz Sandals have said compromise is possible if teachers return to the table. But the unions refuse to return until the boards drop proposals the unions find offensive — leaving a standoff in which neither side seems willing to blink.

“We remain available to bargain with our education partners throughout the summer,” said Nilani Logeswaran, spokesperson for Sandals, in an email Thursday. “We have been clear that we are prepared to compromise and work through issues to reach an agreement with our education partners to ensure our students and teachers can begin the school year without any disruption.”

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) announced last week its members will not run after-school programs this fall without a contract.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has vowed to continue a work-to-rule campaign launched in the spring to refuse to write comments on report cards or plan future field trips, and warned it will not rule out further job action. President Sam Hammond has said ETFO is looking to keep control over prep time in teachers’ hands, not principals’, and wants more resources for special needs students.

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) has unveiled a sweeping work-to-rule campaign that will require teachers to enter the school together no earlier than 15 minutes before class and to refrain from any extracurricular activities whatsoever. They will not take part in parent-teacher nights or interviews, or allow parent volunteers or offer extra help for students after class.

With files from Kristin Rushowy

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