B.C.’s Education Minister Peter Fassbender has some good news and bad news about the ongoing teachers’ strike – the good news is teachers could be back in their classrooms within 24 hours of a deal being reached; the bad news is there’s no sign of a deal being done.
The Record spoke with Fassbender Wednesday afternoon, as part of a series of phone interviews with local newsrooms.
“It’s going to vary a little bit district to district, but on the whole the administration of all the districts – I met with all the school superintendents – are doing everything they can to be ready at virtually 24-hour notice,” he said. “There may be some that are a little more complicated. They are all looking at that and getting as ready as they possibly can.”
Fassbender said the province wants to see students back in schools and teachers back teaching but the B.C. Teachers’ Federation “needs to get realistic” when it comes to their wage and benefit wants.
“They need to come into the zone with other public sector unions,” he said. “We are prepared to negotiate class size and composition, and have put a firm offer on the table of $375 million over the life of the contract.”
The strike is a constant source of discussion among parents, with many struggling to find alternative programs or care for their children when they would normally be in school. Some students are even itching to get back into school after an extended summer vacation, and others are wondering what the strike means to their school year if the dispute drags on.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” Fassbender said. “Our staff are working with school districts to look at what options we have to make up whatever time is lost. The key there will be to make sure that students, especially Grade 12 students, are able to get their marks, and to get ready for entrance into post secondary.”
Extending the school year, shortening holidays and increasing the hours of school days are among the options being evaluated and discussed, said Fassbender.
Talks between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the Public School Employers’ Association broke down on the Labour Day long weekend, when veteran mediator Vince Ready walked away from the talks saying the two sides were at an impasse.
“He is continuing to monitor it,” Fassbender said. “I think an important point for everybody to understand – not one of the two parties in this dispute can force mediation. It is the mediator who decides if it is appropriate, based on how close the two parties are. If Vince Ready was to say to both parties, mediation is now warranted, we’d be in mediation. That is not a problem. He clearly said we aren’t close enough for mediation to be warranted.”
Fassbender has been adamant that he wants a negotiated settlement to be reached between the two sides, rather than a government-imposed contract. He couldn’t say whether that position would change if the dispute carries on until October, as some fear.
“I am not going to speculate,” he said. “I hope that the public, the teachers of this province will speak to the BCTF to get realistic when it comes to wages and benefits, that they get realistic in terms of the other items that we need to negotiate, and that they would even be willing to suspend their strike while we do that, and even take a vote like their vice president said that they might be willing to consider.”
No new talks are scheduled between the BCTF and the province. A spokesperson for the New Westminster Teachers’ Union couldn’t be reached for comment before The Record’s deadline.
