At least one New Westminster school is "considering" withdrawing voluntary, extra-curricular teaching activities in response to government legislation, the New Westminster Teachers' Union president said Monday.
Grant Osborne told The Record that Glenbrook Middle School teachers have been "exploring" the possibility of ending participation in voluntary services.
There has been a grassroots movement of teachers in several districts throughout the province, including Kamloops, where teachers have opted to withdraw voluntary services to send a message to the provincial government that they disagree with Bill 22 - legislation that prohibits teachers from striking and imposes hefty fines if they do.
"We are going to be meeting with our teachers this week to talk about other strategies that we will be taking with our delegation to the BCTF (British Columbia Teachers' Federation) annual general meeting," Osborne said. "It's going to be quiet and sustained pressure and discussion this week. There's no job action this week, and then we will be going to the BCTF annual general meeting next week, which starts this Saturday, and I know there will be a provincewide plan coming out of that."
Osborne added, "As long as we are dealing with Bill 22, you can assume that it's not going to be business as usual."
Teachers and the government have been locked in a contentious contract dispute for more than a year. Teachers have been refusing to do administrative work since September, but they escalated to a full-scale strike for three days last week. Meanwhile, the provincial government is in the process of passing Bill 22.
Osborne said his union also plans to ask New Westminster trustees to officially oppose Bill 22.
"There have been some districts that have actually passed motions which have called for the repeal of Bill 22 and for the appointment of an independent mediator," said Osborne.
New Westminster Secondary School teacher Christine McNulty, who is also the provincial commissioner for B.C. School Sports, said she won't know what the future holds for the B.C. School Sports trackand-field competition until after spring break.
"Right now, I can't tell you one way or another," said McNulty, whose sporting event is one of the highlights of high school sports in the province. "We are just in a wait-and-see pattern."
The B.C. School Sports track-and-field competition is held on June 1 and 2 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby.
