April 26, 2005
Duncan – One week? Two weeks? A month? Labour Minister Graham Bruce is demanding to know how long it would take NDP Leader Carole James to intervene and re-open schools in the event of a labour disruption – a scenario made possible by the NDP’s plank to remove education as an essential service.
“Carole James wants to bring labour disputes back into the classroom,” said Bruce. “By eliminating education as an essential service, students will once again be pawns in labour disputes.”
“How long would Carole James let a strike paralyse the education system before acting? How much disruption for students and parents does she find acceptable?”
During the NDP’s decade in power, over four million student days were lost to labour disputes. In every single instance of job action, the government legislated teachers and support workers back to work. In comparison, under the BC Liberals, no student days have been lost to legal labour disputes.
“The NDP has a track record of school disruptions and back-to-work legislation. This failed approach clearly puts the interests of the NDP’s political friends in the BCTF ahead of the interests of parents and students.”
“The NDP’s education policies would take us backward to the days of schools trapped behind picket lines. We’re moving forward with a positive vision for education that celebrates student and staff achievement, encourages parental involvement, and establishes a workable model for resolving labour disputes."
