Parents of children at five Toronto child-care centres will have to find alternative care after a work stoppage involving employees resulted in a full closure of the facilities. In a news release on Monday, CUPE Local 2484 said that child-care workers at Ideal Child Service Group (ICSG) have been locked out by their employer and are now on the picket lines. ICSG has five child-care centres: Baycrest Child Care Centre at 50 Ameer Ave., BonAventure Child Care Centre at 295 Dufferin St., Children Are People Child Care Centre at 272 Codsell Ave., Pineway Childcare Learning Centre at 110 Pineway Blvd., and Tumpane Child Care Centre at 48 Tumpane St. The local says negotiations stalled after ICSG “refused to respond to the latest proposals” presented to them in September. The union says the lockout was put into place 15 minutes prior to a strike deadline. CTV News Toronto contacted ICSG but did not receive an immediate response. In a statement on its website, ICSG said that all centres are closed “due to CUPE 2484 withdrawal of bargaining unit services.” ICSG said that the closure was effective at 12:01 a.m. on Monday. “Continue to check back frequently as information will be posted as developments occur,” the statement notes. The union said it is fighting for fair wages, better protections for when members are sick or injured, and staffing guidelines that provide children with consistency. “Our members are ready to get back to work, and we are ready to negotiate,” CUPE Local 2484 president Jess Tomas said in the release. “If the employer wants to reach a deal, they need to come back to the table prepared to actually negotiate more than just the bare minimum and respect the invaluable work our members do day in and day out.” If you are a parent who relies on ICSG’s services, we want to hear from you. How and when were you notified that you would need to make alternative arrangements for child-care? How has this impacted your day-to-day life? Share your story by emailing us at torontonews@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a future story.
