Public school teachers in Ontario plan to launch court action today to challenge the Liberal government's legislation that imposes a contract and takes away their right to strike for two
years.

Unions representing teachers and school support workers plan a news conference outside a Toronto courthouse to talk about their challenge of the law that freezes wages for many of them.

The unions say Bill 115 strips teachers of the right to bargain collectively and sets a dangerous precedent for similar legislation being proposed for the broader public sector.

But Education Minister Laurel Broten says the government is confident the legislation is constitutional.

Broten says the Liberals ensured they did not violate the right to collective bargaining by allowing the teachers' unions to negotiate deals before it passed the legislation.

The New Democrats predict the wage freeze bill will be struck down by the courts and will cost Ontario taxpayers more in the long run.

The Progressive Conservatives supported the minority Liberal government's bill to impose a contract on teachers last month, but complained it didn't go far enough.