B.C. teachers have accepted an agreement with the provincial government, ending nearly a year of job action and stalled negotiations.
Between June 27 and 29, 21,044 of the provinceB次元官网网址檚 teachers voted on the agreement, reached with the governmentB次元官网网址檚 bargaining agency, the B.C. Public School EmployersB次元官网网址� Associated (BCPSEA). Seventy-five per cent voted to ratify the agreement.
Sooke School District superintendent Jim Cambridge said he will be excited to start off a new school year in September with things back to normal. He said the inclusion of the legislatively appointed mediator and a desire to end talks before more legislation likely led to the ratification.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 pretty buoyed by the fact that teachers voted for it,B次元官网网址� Cambridge said. B次元官网网址淚n the classroom it will be much more positive, itB次元官网网址檒l be much more positive to know that teachers can just come back and do their jobs. Let the bargainers do their work through the year and they can focus on teaching and we can all get back to our business for a while.B次元官网网址�
School district trustees voted on the agreement on Wednesday. The results of that vote were not known by the GazetteB次元官网网址檚 press deadline.
Sooke Teachers Association president Patrick Henry isnB次元官网网址檛 so thrilled with the agreement, even though he voted in favour of it.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 nothing to be pleased about,B次元官网网址� said Henry. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 unfortunate the government saw it necessary to introduce so much upheaval and vitriol in the process of an agreement that they could have signed off with us months ago.B次元官网网址�
He said the looming threat of government legislation convinced teachers to get an agreement worked out and that teachers were the only public employee sector to be targeted with legislation and threats of fines.
The agreement falls short by failing to bridge the gap on classroom size, composition and student-teacher ratios, Henry added. He said the government betrayed teachers and students by taking away the teachersB次元官网网址� right to bargain these issues, a move deemed unconstitutional by the B.C. Supreme Court, and now being legislated back in.
B次元官网网址淭he whole process of job action has just been tumultuous. ItB次元官网网址檚 been enormously stressful for teachers. ItB次元官网网址檚 been very difficult,B次元官网网址� Henry said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 been a constant struggle to have ourselves heard.B次元官网网址�
The one positive, Henry said, is the progress made on improving benefits.
The new agreement is in effect until June 30, 2013. Through the coming year bargaining will take place for the next collective agreement.
B次元官网网址淥bviously weB次元官网网址檙e going to have to be more creative B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檙e going to have to be more thoughtful in how we deal with government,B次元官网网址� Henry said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very clear that theyB次元官网网址檝e got nothing but disdain for us and for public education.B次元官网网址�
Less than 24 hours following the announcement of the tentative agreement, the BCTF issued notice of a civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court against the province.
The claim was the second made by the union in two weeks. It is formed on the basis that Bill 22 unconstitutionally infringed teachersB次元官网网址� rights to free collective bargaining and asserts that governmentB次元官网网址檚 directions to BCPSEA resulted in bad faith bargaining.
B次元官网网址� with files from Natalie North
kwells@goldstreamgazette.com
