Canadian teachers support BC colleagues
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Teachers across Canada support B.C. colleagues: head of federal association
CAMILLE BAINS
Tue Oct 4, 7:00 PM ET
VANCOUVER (CP) – Teachers across the country are appalled at the B.C. government for imposing a legislated contract on the province’s teachers, says the president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation.
“We are staunchly opposed and over 210,000 teachers across Canada are united with their B.C. colleagues in this battle,” said Winston Carter, a school administrator in Gander, N.L. “What’s happening in British Columbia can happen anywhere in Canada and all 17 (teacher) member organizations are focused on British Columbia and we’re there to help in any way we can as soon as is requested.”
No other government has legislated teachers back to work as far as he can remember, Carter said, adding the B.C. government has “raised the legislative stick” against teachers.
The Liberals had already been under fire from teachers for being the only government in Canada to declare education an essential service, limiting teachers’ job action during contract negotiations.
Labour Minister Mike de Jong introduced the legislation Monday, angering teachers who had planned to step up job action next week to press their contract demands.
Jinny Sims, president of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, said the government acted in a punitive manner by using the “legislative hammer” to strip away teachers’ bargaining rights.
The union, which represents 42,000 teachers, held an emergency meeting Monday night to come up with a response to the legislation.
Teachers across the province will vote on the union’s recommendations and the results will be announced Wednesday by their union, Sims told a news conference.
Jim Sinclair, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, backed the teachers and called on B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and de Jong to meet with teachers to negotiate a settlement.
“We know that if we don’t find an answer then we will be into a major crisis in this province, one that we don’t need,” Sinclair said.
On Tuesday, the Liberal government launched a major advertising campaign to sell the legislation by placing full-page ads in major newspapers in B.C.
But Finance Minister Carole Taylor refused to answer questions in the Legislature from Opposition New Democrats who demanded to know how much taxpayers’ money the government had spent on the ads.
De Jong has said he doesn’t want students to be held hostage by a labour dispute. Teachers say they’re fighting for better learning conditions for students.
Teachers want a cap on class sizes and a return to the resources students had before funding cuts in 2002, which left fewer teacher-librarians and special needs and ESL teachers in schools.
Carter said the Ontario and Alberta governments have reduced class sizes, with Ontario capping kindergarten to Grade 3 classes at 20 students.
Ontario is starting to hire 1,200 new teachers this year to meet the province’s requirements, he said.
Since 1993, B.C. teachers have had a contract imposed on them four times by two successive governments – the NDP and the Liberals.
De Jong blamed the bargaining process, saying he will appoint an industrial inquiry commissioner later this week to develop a new negotiating structure before the teachers’ next contract in June 2006.
An essential service designation for education means teachers can stage limited job action only after the Labour Relations Board rules what is acceptable.
Less than two weeks ago, teachers voted 88 per cent in favour of a strike.
They began job action last week by refusing to attend staff meetings or doing other administrative duties.
Teachers had asked for a 15 per cent wage increase over three years, but the legislation means they are now facing a wage freeze until next June.
The government has a zero-wage increase policy for all public sector employees. B.C. teachers say they are falling behind their colleagues in Alberta and Ontario.
Quebec teachers, the lowest-paid teachers in Canada, are also currently tussling with their government.
They’ve been without a contract for 22 months and are getting nowhere, Carter said.
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