(VANCOUVER) The BC Teachers’ Federation has rejected recommendations by a government-appointed mediator, seeking more bargaining sessions to replace a contract that expired at the end of June.
The teachers’ union has been in mediation with the BC Public School Employers’ Association since July.
Mediation was called off in September, with the employer asking for a written report recommending a way forward.
The report was issued Nov. 1. On Friday, after a media blackout was lifted, union leaders issued a statement saying the have rejected it and asking to go back to the bargaining table.
“The main barriers to getting a deal are long-held demands from the employer to rollback the class-size and class-composition language recently restored by the Supreme Court of Canada and a lack of funding from government to make meaningful improvements to teachers’ salaries,” says BCTF President Teri Mooring. “B.C. teachers have the second-lowest starting salary in all of Canada and the lowest overall salary in the Western provinces, including Ontario and Alberta.”
Source : CityNews
