‘Kids deserve better’: BCTF, province kick off mediation just two weeks before school starts
Posted August 19, 2019 6:22 am.
Last Updated August 19, 2019 6:27 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – School may still be out for summer, but with class bells set to start ringing in just two weeks, the next eight or so days will be critical as B.C.’s unionized teachers and the province come back for mediated talks on Monday.
What the next school year will look like for your children will depend on what comes from these talks — but any potential job action isn’t expected to disrupt the beginning of the academic year.
As the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association talks kick off, the union which represents more than 40,000 teachers province-wide is taking aim at the B.C. government in a new advertisement.
The @bctf is also out with a new ad campaign. The first spots started airing on @NEWS1130 this morning. https://t.co/HW8mgcUAQd
— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) August 19, 2019
“B.C. teachers are getting ready for the new school year and we’re eager to get back into our classrooms,” the BCTF says in the ad. “The last place we thought we’d be is still at the bargaining table.
“The province’s negotiators are pushing hard for bigger classes, less support for kids with special needs, and fewer specialist teachers. This government promised better, parents and teachers expected better, and kids deserve better,” the union’s ad continues. “We can’t go backwards. Nobody voted for that.”
Unionized teachers' concerns include class size & composition, as well as pay. "The province's negotiators are pushing hard for bigger classes, less support for kids with special needs, and fewer specialist teachers," the BCTF says in its ad. #bced @NEWS1130
— Hana Mae Nassar (@HanaMaeNassar) August 19, 2019
Key concerns for the BCTF include class size and composition, as well as wages.
The union has said the province also needs to do a better job of offering incentives to keep teachers in B.C.
With school bells set to start ringing on September 3rd, there’s little time left for an agreement to be reached, however the union has insisted that eight days is plenty of time for that to happen.
The @bctf has said the start of the school year, which is on Sep 3, won't be impacted by any job action. However, what the school year will look like will depend on what comes from these mediated talks. #bced
— Hana Mae Nassar (@HanaMaeNassar) August 19, 2019
