Last week marked the second week of rotating strikes by public school teacher鈥檚 across B.C. in response to the negotiations between the B.C. Teacher鈥檚 Federation (BCTF) and the province, which is represented by the B.C. Public School Employers鈥� Association.
Next week will mark the third week of rotating strikes that has seen teachers in School District 91 take to the picket lines May 28 and June 5.
Recently the B.C. Labour Relations Board upheld an employer bid to cut teacher鈥檚 pay by 10 per cent in response to these rotating strikes and refusal to perform certain duties outside of the classroom.
Now, in response to that decision by the labour relations board, the BCTF will hold a vote June 9-10 about whether or not to support a full scale strike before the school year ends.
President of the BCTF, Jim Iker has said that if the strike vote is upheld it would mean a full scale strike within two weeks, the implications of that meaning further cancelled field trips and end of the year report cards not being completed in full.
As of now the BCTF wage proposal is 9.75 per cent over a four year period, plus a cost-of-living adjustment in each year depending on inflation, which estimates the total wage increase to be 12.75 per cent.
The B.C. Public School Employers鈥� Association has proposed a 7.5 per cent wage increase over six years, as well as a recently added $1200 signing bonus if a deal is reached before the end of the school year.
It is a wage increase that is in line with other public sector agreements, according to chief negotiator, Peter Cameron.
Other issues that the two sides are divided on are class size and special needs support staff.
Now, no blame should be placed on either side, this is a contract negotiation.
Contract negotiations can become quite bitter, and this one happens to be playing out in the public spotlight.
Even the biggest companies, such as the NFL, which avoid a lockout two years ago, and famously the NHL, which has had three lockouts and a player鈥檚 strike within the last 20 years, argue over how to split up billions of dollars.
But enough is enough, the two sides need to sit down at a table and hammer this deal out.
Both sides seem to have forgotten in this dispute that who they truly are affecting is the students.
The students who need the help outside of the classroom to prepare for provincial exams that will affect what universities they are accepted to.
The students who need to take those provincial exams to graduate high school.
The students that need those final report cards marked.
Education Minister, Peter Fassbender has vowed that provincial exams will continue, but how?
A walkout last week was organized by B.C. students over FaceBook in a response to the rotating strikes.
Both sides of this negotiation need to set egos aside and focus on how their dispute is negatively affecting those the teach.
Are teachers underpaid? Probably.
Are both sides at liberty to negotiate a deal that they see as fair for their sides? Yes.
But both sides need to sit down and reach an agreement for the benefit of the students.
