Workplace Blog

Sowetan: Cosatu rules the day

Hundreds of thousands of workers yesterday supported trade union giant Cosatuís one-day general strike in protest against job losses.

Huge marches brought the central business districts of Johannesburg and Durban to a standstill as police sealed roads and businesses closed shop.

The strike also crippled some gold mines and shut numerous schools, but other sectors of the economy were largely unaffected.

Citizen.co.za: Strike hammers car firms, mines

JOHANNESBURG CBD saw what was probably its biggest protest yet when the Congress of South African Trade Unions took to the streets during a national strike over poverty and jobs.
In Cape Town, where the protest march had been banned following violence during a Satawu march earlier in the week, police maintained high visibility.

The Mercury: Thousands march peacefully

housands of people thronged the streets of Durban yesterday in support of the national Cosatu strike, which was largely peaceful.

Teachers, nurses, security guards and workers in the clothing, textile, chemical, paper and energy sectors came out in support of the national strike.

South African Police Service and Durban Metro Police officers remained on high alert and attentive to the movement of the marchers through the city. However, no incidents were reported.

Vancouver Sun: Teachers’ union seeks strike vote

Friday » May 19 » 2006

Teachers’ union seeks strike vote
Ballots on June 7-8 could lead to job action disrupting the September opening of schools

Janet Steffenhagen
Vancouver Sun

Friday, May 19, 2006

The federation’s executive told the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association it will seek a mandate from union local presidents at a meeting in early June to hold a strike vote by teachers the following week. If a strike were to occur this fall, it would be the second major shutdown of the province’s public schools in less than a year.

Union president Jinny Sims said the call for a strike vote is in response to the employers’ offer this week of an eight-per-cent pay hike over four years — far less than the union’s bid for a 24-per-cent increase in a three-year deal. The employers association called it a serious opening offer, but Sims described it as an insult.”It’s less than the cost of living [increase],” she fumed. “This is a very unfair, unrealistic offer … [and] they had the audacity to call it a serious offer.”

The employers association said the union has refused to say whether it intends to bargain next week, but Sims said in an interview the BCTF has not left the table.

She said she remains confident the two sides can reach a deal before their contract expires June 30, despite the fact they have never managed to negotiate a contract since the provincewide bargaining was instituted more than 12 years ago.

Sims insisted, however, that teachers who took “a very courageous stand” last fall when they staged a 10-day illegal strike for improved classroom conditions and a salary increase aren’t going to settle for eight per cent. She said the union needs a 20-per-cent boost to bring salaries into line with those offered in Ontario and Alberta.

Without a decent increase, the province won’t be able to retain teachers and attract new ones, she said, adding that B.C. salaries have slipped from first or second in Canada to eighth and school districts are already having problems finding enough teachers.

The problem is particularly acute for schools looking for substitute teachers and many districts are bringing uncertified people into classrooms when teachers are away, she said. For example, she noted Prince George regularly employs a 19-year-old woman with only one year of university training.

Prince George superintendent Dick Chambers said the woman speaks French and is to be restricted to elementary school French classes. Rural schools have being using uncertified people to fill gaps for many years, he added.

Hugh Finlayson, executive-director of the employers association, said the salary offer now on the table is in line with other public sector settlements reached prior to March 30. As well, teachers will be eligible for the government’s signing bonus — roughly $3,000 to $4,000 for every teacher — if a deal is reached before June 30.

The association disputes the union’s claim that B.C. salaries are eighth among provinces and says salaries can’t be looked at in isolation. The B.C. contract includes benefits, such as paid preparation time, that are not part of the Alberta contract, for example.

In this round of talks, the union not only wants a double-digit salary increase but is also seeking double-digit increases in other areas, such as benefits, professional development and preparation time, the association says.

Finlayson insisted there is no overall teacher shortage in B.C. There are specific shortages, however, and the association has offered to address those by offering allowances for teachers who live in remote parts of the province or specialize in areas where there is a demonstrated need, such as French immersion, physics, chemistry and industrial arts.

Sims said the union will never accept a salary differential based on the subjects taught.

jsteffenhagen@png.canwest.com

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

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