Premier wants teachers in class during negotiations

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Christy Clark is urging both sides in the teachers dispute to return to the negotiating table and get students back into classrooms.

Clark says the Teachers’ Federation has refused to suspend their strike while negotiations continue.

“They are still demanding twice as much as other public sector workers have received, about 150,000 workers in the public sector, dedicated men and women who serve British Columbians every day have settled for raises that were fair. Fair to them, fair to taxpayers. It’s just not right, I don’t think, to demand a $5,000 signing bonus that no one else in the public sector has received.”

She also says the BCTF is refusing to provide more affordable demands, similar to other agreements reached by other public sectors.

She says until this happens, the issues of class size and composition can’t be addressed. “For heaven’s sakes, 150,000 other public sector employees who work just as hard have settled for far less. They didn’t get a $5,000 signing bonus, they didn’t get unlimited massage, they didn’t get an extra day off every year. It needs to be realistic, it needs to be in-line with what we’ve done with other public sector unions.”

The BCTF confirms it has taken its request for unlimited massages off the table.

“So, I want to today strongly urge the union leadership to bargain seriously, to bargain with a hope that we can get to a negotiated solution to this that will be fair to their members, that will be fair to taxpayers, that will be fair to the other 150,000 public sector workers that have already settled for a deal that we can afford.”

Clark doesn’t deny teachers deserve a raise. “There’s no question about that. But, to be fair, we have to make sure it’s one that reflects the work we have already done with the other half of the public service workers that have already settled.”

The premier also expressed her support for Education Minister Peter Fassbender.

“Everything he is doing to resolve this dispute and get our kids back into schools has been a tremendous effort. He has been working at it every single day, doing his best making sure we can resolve this for the families of British Columbia. The truth is, here in our province, students have the best outcomes of any students in the country, some of the best outcomes of any students anywhere in the world. We truly have an excellent public education system in BC.”

Clark agrees both sides need to remove all emotion and get down to the basic facts. “The proposal on the table now includes $375-million to support improved classroom composition. So, that’s more teachers, more teachers’ union members, more CUPE members that will be in the classroom educating kids and supporting them.”

She says there’s also money on the table for a raise. “It’s the same raise that everyone else got. There are other items that could still be bargained at the table.”

Today was the first time Clark has spoken publicly about the teachers dispute. “The thing is, this is going to be settled at the negotiating table by negotiators. This is how we have settled all of the other public sector agreements that we’ve made.”