The Education Improvement Act, introduced yesterday by the province, suspends teachers’ strike action, sets a cooling-off period and appoints a mediator to facilitate bargaining.
The legislation extends the previous collective agreement to cover the mediation period, with a goal of reaching a negotiated agreement by the beginning of summer. If there is no agreement, the mediator will issue a report by June 30 with non-binding recommendations.
“We are not prepared to see a school year pass without every parent in B.C. getting a full accounting of how their children are progressing in school,” said Education Minister George Abbott.
“Using legislation to resolve stalled negotiations is never the preferred option, but we need to end the disruptive strike that’s creating a strain in our schools and classrooms.”
The BC Teachers’ Federation is strongly opposing the legislation.
BCTF President Susan Lambert has characterized Bill 22 as “a destructive act of legislative vandalism that will violate collective bargaining rights for teachers and have a profoundly negative impact on learning conditions for students.”
The BCTF objects to the mediator being constrained by a “net-zero mandate” and being “tasked with reaching agreement on a number of concessions tabled by the employer.” It states that the bill imposes a two-year wage freeze, which it says means every teacher will lose about $2,800 in purchasing power.
“This bill forces us into a mock mediation that has a predetermined outcome and is designed to make teachers complicit in stripping the remaining protections in our own collective agreement,” Lambert said.
“It’s absolutely Orwellian.”
