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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, April 17, 2015 | 12 Halton talks continue despite breakdown provincially continued from p.1 "Again we made progress.... I'll just leave it as progress," he said, offering no details. Representatives of the Halton public board and its secondary school teachers union met Wednesday even though contract talks broke off at the provincial level a day earlier. The talks in Halton are centered on nonmonetary issues. Monetary items are bargained provincially at a central table. It is the first time a two-tiered bargaining process has been used in Ontario. Teachers province-wide have been without a contract since Aug. 31, 2014. The provincial government has said there is no money in its budget for raises in the public sector. Fisher said the end of negotiations, for now, at the provincial table was not mentioned during Halton negotiations, but is a development that is hard to ignore. "The provincial talks are separate talks, but it certainly adds stress to it," Fisher said. "It's not good news, but both sides (in Halton) are at least trying to consider the other's positions. "That never came up. We dealt with local issues," Euale confirmed. A provincial conciliator brought in to aid the bargaining process issued a no-board report at the end of March, placing the two local sides in a legal strike or lockout position as of today (Friday). However, under the Ontario Labour Relations Act, a minimum of five days' notice must be given before any strike or lockout can occur. No such notice has been given by either local side. "We wouldn't take a decision like that lightly," Fisher said of possible strategies like a job action. "Nobody wants to do job actions. We hope we can resolve this locally. We hope for the best but plan for the worst." Durham board high school teachers have given their notice and could be the first to walk off the job in Ontario Monday (April 20). Parents seeking more information about a possible local strike or lockout can visit the Halton public board's Frequently Asked Questions section at http://goo.gl/ziMTzc. May 14th, DIAMOND 100% NATURAL INGREDIENTS M a D e to FRESH & MaDe DELICIOUS NaChoS FreSh orDer BURRITOS 289-837-0111 thehabanero.ca Located Across the Street from Sheridan College on Trafalgar Rd. 1289 Marlborough Court, oakville