New Westminster Teachers' Union president Grant Osborne said he's hopeful a deal can be reached between teachers and the province this coming year, even though the signs this winter weren't all that encouraging.
"(The B.C. Public School Employers' Association) has been trying to punish us by repeatedly going to the (Labour Relations Board) instead of negotiating, and they've lost each time," said Osborne. "We're hoping bargaining can resume in the new year."
Osborne said he was happy to see school support workers - represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees - negotiate their deal, but he's not sure what effect that will have on the teachers' bargaining position.
"I find it interesting that the government is able to say there was no salary increases, but there were also some monetary incentives that (support workers) received. - The government did put money on the table, and it will be interesting to see if that happens with us."
Osborne also said he didn't know if teachers will escalate job action in the new year.
"My crystal ball is a little bit murky," he said. "If there is escalation, I think it will be only as a response to what the employer would do. There have been a lot of applications from the employer to the LRB that I think were meant to poke at teachers, and so far we've held the course.
"I'm always hopeful that we'll get a deal done, but there are so many chess pieces moving around the board. It will be hard to see where it's all going to go."
