B.C. teachers were set to begin “low-level” job action in schools across the province on Wednesday (April 23).
The B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) said the action will have minimal impact on students. As part of the move, teachers did not plan to supervise students outside of regular classes, attend meetings with management or provide or receive written, printed or electronic communication with principals or administrators. Teachers also will not arrive at work early or stay late.
“Despite our patience and our measured approach in bargaining, (Premier) Christy Clark and her government are once again trying to provoke B.C. teachers and shut down B.C. schools,” BCTF president Jim Iker stated.
“Job action, even low-level action, is always a last resort because teachers care deeply about our schools and our students. That is why teachers are asking for smaller classes, more one-on-one time for our students, extra help for those who need it, and more specialist teachers to enhance every student’s educational experience.”
Sea to Sky Teachers’ Association president Carl Walker said local teachers hope to avoid a full strike.
“Teachers won’t be doing as much supervision, so administrators will have to do more of that. Teachers will continue with extracurricular and other voluntary activities,” he said. “They will do report cards and will be communicating with parents… The next step after Stage 1 would be rotating strikes, but there isn’t any date for that.”
Last month, B.C. teachers voted 89 per cent in favour of job action after a year of negotiations. The sticking points: class size, special education staffing and wages. In the corridor, Walker said other issues include cuts to ESL language programs and teacher-librarian time.
In a statement released on Thursday (April 17), education minister Peter Fassbender said he was disappointed, but not surprised by the move.
“Over the past few weeks, it appears the BCTF has been more focused on implementing its strike plan than bargaining at the table,” he said. “There has been virtually no movement from the BCTF on their wage and contract positions. The union hasn’t moved off its opening position of approximately 13.5 per cent increase over three years, nor has it withdrawn any of its many other monetary proposals…
“I’m informed that the employers’ association will respond to the BCTF’s strike in an appropriate and principled manner to put commensurate pressure on the union. This time around, with the BCTF also feeling pressure to reach an agreement, we hope both sides will be equally motivated to find solutions at the table, rather than letting the BCTF’s strike drift on indefinitely.”
