As students get ready to head back to classes next Tuesday, teachers are ramping up the pressure on the provincial government as they try to collectively bargain a new contract.
On Wednesday morning, the B.C. Teachers' Federation announced it is filing strike notice, which will take effect at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
According to a teachers' federation press release, phase 1 of the job action means that teachers will not be performing administrative tasks such as filling out forms, collecting data, meeting with principals or other administrators, supervising on playgrounds, or writing report cards.
Grant Osborne, president of the New Westminster Teachers' Union, told The Record on Wednesday morning the goal is to put pressure on the government to bargain meaningfully.
"The government is moving ahead with their sub-zero mandate and is looking for concessions," said Osborne. "We haven't had any increases in our benefits since 1994."
Osborne said teachers remain committed to teaching students.
"Hopefully, there will be as little impact in the classroom as possible," he said.
Osborne was also adamant that in Phase 1 of the job action, extra-curricular activities, such as sports, would not be affected.
Osborne said the gulf between what teachers are being offered and what they are asking for is "pretty big right now."
"We're eighth in the country in terms of salary and that has to change," he said.
Although negotiations began in March and the collective agreement expired in June, there has been little progress in bargaining.
"Government continues to come empty-handed to the table, persisting with their sub-zero mandate. Government spending decisions are a question of priorities, and we believe children should be the number one priority," Susan Lambert, president of the teachers' federation, said in the press release.
Education Minister George Abbott said in a Wednesday conference call that negotiations have not progressed very far.
"It will be an unusual back to school in the sense that we'll see some implications and some repercussions from the challenges at the bargaining table," Abbott said.
Discussions on the collective agreement are "not very productive or successful to this point."
"There will be some consequences, ... withdrawal from participation in administrative services. So we'll see how that plays out. It may be a somewhat more challenging year for some participants in the school system as a consequence of that."
When asked whether he's pessimistic about the negotiations, Abbott said: "I hope it's a short and sweet negotiation, but if there's a reason for optimism around the early conclusion of these talks, it's not been shared with me."
The government is approaching discussions with all public sector employees with a net zero mandate.
"You can be sure the bargaining will be challenging, and that has certainly been the case so far. Currently there's nothing in our world that will take us away from a net zero mandate, and I don't believe our employees at the BCTF have acknowledged or attempted that to date. I'm just trying to be realistic here, rather than pessimistic. Odds are this is going to continue to be a difficult negotiation."
- with files from Jennifer Moreau
