The B.C. Teachers’ Federation expects to resume contract negotiations with the provincial government in October, says union president Jim Iker.
The talks, initially slated to resume next month, have been pushed back to accommodate government negotiations with school support staff, as well as ongoing court action, Iker said Thursday.
Iker welcomed recent comments by Education Minister Peter Fassbender that government will cover any negotiated wage and benefit increases without downloading those costs to local school districts.
“It’s always positive when government says they will fund any agreement that it makes with their employees,” he said. “That’s good news.”
But he said the Liberal government should also cover wage increases for support staff without making districts pick up the tab. Fassbender sent school boards a letter this week, telling them to find savings to pay for wage and benefit increases for educational assistants, bus drivers, custodians and other school support workers.
The Liberals have made a habit of downloading costs to districts since taking power in 2001, Iker said, resulting in sweeping cuts to the public education system.
Iker said that while Fassbender’s recent comments about teachers were a step forward, the real test will come when talks resume in October.
“I think what’s important here is that government commits to bring the necessary funding to the bargaining table,” he said.
Iker said he’s open to the possibility of a longer-term deal, but that the government’s push for a 10-year agreement is unworkable. “Too many things change” in a decade, he said.
Fassbender told reporters it was too soon to reject the idea, as the two sides haven’t even had a chance to discuss it. “What I have said to Jim Iker, the president, is: ‘Let’s not put up a gauntlet on either side. Let’s get at the table.’
“The government was very clear in the election: We’re looking for a 10-year agreement. We also recognize that we need to sit down and define what that is and be able to communicate that to all the parties so they understand it.”
Fassbender brushed aside questions about a fall-back plan. “I’m not throwing out any suggestion that [says], ‘Here’s another option,’ ” he said.
The BCTF heads to court next month in its ongoing battle with the government over laws introduced in 2002 that prevent teachers from negotiating class size and composition limits in their contracts.
A judge ruled in 2011 that the laws were unconstitutional and gave the government one year to fix the situation. The BCTF says the issue has not been resolved and is seeking damages and other remedies.
