Parents need to make other arrangements for their kids as Vancouver schoolteachers are set to strike next Monday.
British Columbia Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker announced May 20 that rotating strikes across the province would run May 26-29. Schools will close in Vancouver May 26.
“Last week, teachers were hopeful when they saw the government and BCPSEA [BC Public School Employers’ Association] put out an olive branch by backing off the unrealistic 10-year term,” said Iker, according to a press release.
“But the next day, hope that this government would start negotiating in good faith faded when the employer announced a series of threats around wage rollbacks, lockouts, and attempts to divide teachers, parents, and students.”
Iker said strikes would be undertaken in response to unwillingness by the provincial government and the BCPSEA to offer improvements class size, composition and learning conditions for students, as well as unfair wage demands.
“It’s disappointing but it’s not surprising,” said Vancouver School Board chairperson, Patti Bacchus, of the strike news. “The government made some fairly provocative announcements on Friday afternoon and I anticipated that the BCTF would have a response. This is clearly going to be challenging for parents and students as we’re in the home stretch of the school year.”
The BCPSEA tabled an offer with a six-year term and a $1,200 signing bonus for teachers last Friday if an agreement could be reached by June 30.
But, according to the BCPSEA, the BCTF refused to move on wages, benefits, class size and composition and more.
The BCPSEA noted Friday that the BCTF has applied to the Labour Relations Board to challenge government’s decision to have the union pay the cost of teacher benefits, which could mean another legal battle.
BCPSEA also noted Friday that it told the BCTF the association would apply more pressure unless the BCTF cancelled its initial stage of strike action, which is administrative only. (Teachers continue to participate in extracurricular activities, write report cards and communicate with parents. Teachers are not to be at school more than an hour before or after class times, except for arranged voluntary activities. Meetings and written communications with administrators are limited.)
When the BCTF wouldn’t budge, the BCPSEA announced Friday that June 27 would remain a cancelled day for teachers across the province and June 25 and 26 would be cancelled days for all secondary schools across the province.
The BCPSEA announced a five per cent reduction in all teacher pay resulting from cuts in work hours related to the administrative strike action. BCPSEA said the requirement for the union to pay the cost of benefits would be tabled, “at least for the time being.”
The BCSPSEA and the BCTF are scheduled to continue bargaining May 22 and 23.
When asked Tuesday morning whether agreements at the table this week could see rotating strikes cancelled, “anything’s possible,” was Iker’s reply.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender was to speak to the media after the Courier’s Tuesday print deadline.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Susan Griffin ruled in January that the government must restore collective bargaining provisions that relate to class size and composition and the number of supports provided in classes for special needs. Language was to be returned to their collective agreement retroactively but was expected to be the subject of ongoing collective bargaining. The government is appealing the decision.
Bacchus said the Vancouver School Board’s website will include a section with up-to-date information about the strike. For more information, see vsb.bc.ca.
The BCTF says any additional school closure dates depend on progress at the bargaining table.
