Education employees gathered this morning, Friday, in protest lines across Ottawa, including at the offices of Progressive Conservative MPs, to express their dissatisfaction with the imposed contract on the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

By 8 a.m., nearly 50 employees and parents had already gathered at MacLeod's constituency office, which had a sign on its door stating the office would remain closed on Friday.

Education employees in Ontario have begun striking, calling out: "We need our voices heard." The union says low wages and overall job dissatisfaction are the main reasons for the demonstrations.

They gained a new political dimension this week when the Progressive Conservative government imposed contracts on 55,000 education workers and barred them from striking.

Despite opposition to the special clause - which allows Parliament and provincial legislatures to override parts of the Charter - CUPE chose to protest, facing daily fines of up to $220 million.

Employees expressed their frustration outside Progressive Conservative MP Lisa MacLeod's office, not only because of their desire for wage increases but also about their feelings that their democratic rights had been crushed.