VANCOUVER – British Columbia teachers say they won’t accept any new contract that doesn’t include a pay hike.
The B.C. Teachers’ Federation release its wage demands Tuesday, asking for 15 per cent in pay increases over three years, after more than five months of limited job action that has seen teachers refuse to perform a handful of tasks.
The teachers’ union is seeking a three per cent pay increase in each of three years of a new contract, plus a cost-of-living increase in the second and third years.
The federation is also demanding what it describes as modest improvements to benefits, which union president Susan Lambert said haven’t changed in 18 years.
The union said it has agreed to reduce or drop some of its previous demands, such as a guaranteed wage for on-call teachers. Lambert told a news conference the demands would cost employers $ 300 million, down from the $ 1 billion the government estimated the union’s original demands would cost.
However, the province has so far stood firm in its resolve to negotiate public-sector contracts that do not have any increased costs.
Lambert noted the union has held nearly 70 bargaining sessions with the B.C. Public School Employers Association since last spring, but negotiations appear to have hit a logjam.
“It’s almost a theatre of the absurd,” said Lambert. “It’s a farce.”
The government has said there won’t be any pay hikes during its zero-wage increase policy for public-sector unions.
“We are asking the government to break the net-zero mandate,” Lambert said.
“The net-zero mandate will not find a deal. It’s perfectly reasonable that B.C. teachers want to keep up with inflation and move a little way towards catching up with other provinces,” she said.
Alberta teachers earn $ 20,000 more a year than their B.C. counterparts, while Ontario teachers receive $ 15,000 more, she said.
Lambert made it clear that some of the bitterness that surfaced between teachers and the Liberals in 2002, when the government brought in legislation to strip teachers’ contract, has been simmering anew since recent negotiations began.
In October, Education Minister George Abbott said he was musing about a legislated end to the teachers’ strike, which started on the first day of school in September. Teachers in B.C. are prohibited from walking off the job, so their strike has involved withdrawing some administrative services, such as filling in report cards and supervising students.
Lambert said Abbott should stop speculating about using legislation against teachers and start respecting the value of their work to ensure the two sides build a workable relationship.
The 41,000-member teachers’ union said it has dropped its demand for a guaranteed minimum wage for on-call teachers, as well as leave for paid professional development. The union has also reduced its discretionary leave proposal from six days to one day.
It had already dropped its much-criticized demand for two weeks paid leave after the death of a friend.
In a ruling released in December, the B.C. Labour Relations Board concluded bargaining between teachers and their employers is so dysfunctional that changes must be made.
The three board members found the current strike action isn’t putting pressure on either side to come to an agreement.
In 2002, now-premier Christy Clark, who was then the education minister, brought in legislation to strip teachers’ collective agreement of guarantees for smaller class sizes and services to students with special needs.
Teachers mounted a successful court challenge but Lambert said the teachers’ contract was stripped of $ 330 million a year.
In 2005, teachers staged an illegal two-week walkout and were fined $ 500,000 for contempt of court.
In April, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the B.C. government’s actions against teachers in 2002 were unconstitutional.
“What has to happen now for this to be a dignified and positive round of bargaining is for government to review its mandate and come to the table focused on signing a collective agreement,” Lambert said.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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