Long-Term Solution Sought for Teacher Bargaining

Oct. 3, 2005

VICTORIA – The BC Liberal government is committed to solving long-standing problems with the bargaining process for teachers and school employers in the province, Labour Minister Michael de Jong announced today.

De Jong introduced legislation that will extend the collective agreement between the BC Teachers’ Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association until June 30, 2006. During this period an Industrial Inquiry Commission will be appointed under the labour code to develop a new bargaining process that will be in place in time for the next round of negotiations.

“We knew going into the latest round of bargaining that history did not favour a negotiated settlement,” de Jong said. “The report of the fact-finder confirmed that we have a broken bargaining system and we will not see negotiated settlements until that system is fixed.”

Despite meeting 35 times, the parties were unable to agree upon a single item. The fact-finder also found the BCTF proposals would cost the system anywhere from $673 million to $938 million annually.

“More than 130 other public sector agreements have been reached under the current fiscal mandate,” de Jong said. “Extending the collective agreement will give both the BCTF and the BCPSEA some breathing space before they come back to the table, and by that time there will be a new process in place in which negotiated settlements can occur. It also provides some certainty for students, their families and teachers who were facing the ongoing disruption of escalating job action.”

De Jong noted that, since 1993, successive B.C. governments have repeatedly imposed settlements on teachers and school districts.

“That is not a record to be proud of. Given the thousands of agreements that have been negotiated in the public and private sectors over the last 15 years, it’s frankly amazing that anyone would have put up with such a fundamentally flawed system for so long.  Teachers will be in a position to negotiate a fair and reasonable wage increase when bargaining resumes next spring.”

De Jong said that he expected to announce the commission before the end of the week.

QUICK FACTS

  • New legislation will extend the collective agreement between the BC Teachers’ Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association until June 30, 2006 while a new bargaining process is developed.
  • There is still a gap of more than $600 million annually between what the BCTF is demanding and what school boards are prepared to offer.
  • Teachers will be in a position to bargain effectively for a fair and reasonable wage increase when bargaining resumes in the spring - consistent with the public sector bargaining mandate under which more than 130 agreements have been reached.
  • Teachers received a 7.5% wage increase in the last round of bargaining and are the third highest paid in the country.
  • Education funding was increased by $150 million this year – the single, largest increase in more than a decade.