Teachers in Ontario have netted a sizeable Bill 124 backpay agreement through arbitration just days before the fate of the controversial law is set to be revealed.
Unioned elementary and secondary school teachers were granted increases in an arbitration ruling released Friday.
The ruling gave members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation total pay increases over the three years they were governed by Bill 124 of 7.25 per cent.
The arbitration ruling comes as part of reopened discussions into Bill 124, a 2019 Ford government law that capped public sector pay increases to one per cent per year over three years.
That law was thrown out as unconstitutional in a late 2022 ruling the Ford government has appealed. The result of that appeal will be released on Monday.
The award for the two teaching unions breaks down as: 1.75 per cent increases for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, including the one per cent that had already been granted.
It also offers a 3.75 per cent for 2021-2022, including the one percent.
The union said that compounds to a total pay award for the three-year period of 7.41 per cent.
While the appeal decision has been underway, however, the law has effectively been voided and a series of unions have netted backpay agreements.
Civil servants, nurses, hospital staff and faculty workers at colleges are among the groups to already have received payouts from the Ford government.
A recent announcement saw civil servants awarded an increase of 6.5 per cent over the three years their wages were frozen.
Nurses were awarded a 0.75 per cent wage increase for the year starting April 1, 2020, an additional one per cent for the following year and an additional two per cent for the final year.
It is not clear if the province would make any attempts to take that money back from workers if it wins its appeal over the legislation. A spokesperson said it would be “inappropriate to speculate on potential outcomes” of Bill 124 while it is before the courts when previously asked the question by Global News.
The latest compensation ruling comes just days before the Ford government is set to find out if its appeal to reinstate Bill 124 has been successful.
The Ontario Court of Appeal is set to release its ruling over the wage restraint legislation around midday on Monday.