The Education Employees Union agreed to end a strike that forced hundreds of schools to close in the most densely populated district in Canada after the Ontario government on Monday offered to repeal a controversial law that imposed a contract on workers and banned strikes.

Progressive Conservative Ontario Premier Doug Ford passed the law last week in anticipation of a strike by about 55,000 education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

The strike also continued on Friday, forcing hundreds of schools in Ontario to close.

On Monday, Ford offered to repeal the law if the union agreed to end the confrontation. Education workers welcomed the offer to repeal the law with cheers, and union leader Laura Walton said they would vacate protest sites starting Tuesday and return to negotiations.

Walton said at a press conference, "We hope this gesture will receive the same goodwill from this government in a new proposal at the negotiating table as soon as possible."