Burnaby teachers are joining B.C.-wide protests today while the provincial government is drafting legislation to force an end to the ongoing labour dispute.
"It's a day of demonstration," said Richard Storch, president of the Burnaby Teachers' Association. "We want a negotiated settlement, not a legislated one."
Burnaby teachers gathered at Moscrop Secondary and Edmonds Community School, after school hours. The provincial government is expected to announce legislation to end the dispute soon. It's not clear exactly what the legislation will mandate, but Storch said teachers could be forced to accept their old contract.
Meanwhile, B.C. Teachers' Federation lawyers are going to the Labour Relations Board to find out what options teachers have in terms of expanding their strike action. Contract negotiations started last spring, and teachers have been refusing to do administrative work since September in a partial strike designed to put pressure on the employer without impacting students. B.C. teachers are holding a vote on Tuesday and Wednesday and will announce their next move on Thursday.
"People are very concerned it's come to this," Storch said. "It's unfortunate because we were really hoping for negotiated settlement. It's starting to look like the plan all along was not to negotiate a settlement."
The provincial government's move towards using legislation came after a government-appointed fact finder reported that it was very unlikely negotiations would end the dispute. The main sticking point was money: teachers wanted a raise, but the provincial government is sticking to its "net-zero mandate," meaning public sector workers are under a wage freeze. Any salary increase for teachers would have to be offset by cutbacks elsewhere.
Education Minister George Abbott said that the teachers' union has a democratic right to canvass its members on whether to escalate its strike action.
"However, it is clear that this strike is hurting students, and any escalation in strike action will only increase the harm to students and the impact on parents," he said. "Government is considering mediation in its response to resolve this dispute. As with every other public-sector union that has reached an agreement, any mediated settlement would need to be within the net-zero mandate. The union's demands, which would add $2 billion in costs for B.C. taxpayers, are not acceptable given the current financial reality."
