BC teachers approve deal with province, end 15-year-long bargaining battle

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Teachers across British Columbia have voted to accept a deal with the provincial government and end a 15-year battle over bargaining rights.

The union representing teachers issued a release Friday night saying more than 21,000 educators voted on an agreement about class size and composition, with more than 98 per cent casting ballots in favour of the deal.

Union president Glen Hansman says in a statement that B.C. schools are now on the verge of having better working and learning conditions in place.

Details have not yet been released about what the agreement includes.

The announcement comes months after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a provincial law that blocked teachers’ ability to bargain on class size was unconstitutional.

At the time of the court ruling, Hansman had estimated it would cost between $250 and $300 million per year to bring in the additional resources.

The ruling restored language to a previous 2002 agreement, however a statement from the provincial government said details needed to be negotiated because the education system has evolved and changed since then.

Hansman said the agreement will see all the substantive working conditions that were stripped away brought back.

“With our restored language in effect, BC schools, students, and teachers will see significant improvements in class sizes, support levels for children with special needs, and access to specialist teachers this September,” he said.

He warned, however, that teachers cannot forget what has happened, and must now shift to holding the government accountable for funding the new agreement.

“All eyes will be on the BC Liberal government this March and April to ensure the necessary funds materialize,” Hansman said.

Education Minister Mike Bernier released the following statement:

“I am very pleased that teachers have ratified the agreement because working together for student achievement is at the core of ensuring British Columbians can benefit from a strong, growing and diverse economy. The parties had to deal with some very complex issues. The challenge was how to restore nearly 1,400 old clauses across 60 different collective agreements within the context of an education system that evolved dramatically over the past 15 years.

“We have a system today that has far more choice and flexibility for students and parents. There is more diversity in programs and courses. We have a system that is more inclusive of individual student needs. Student outcomes are up across the board and are amongst the best in the world. And we’ve seen dramatically improved outcomes for students with special needs and First Nations students.

“So a key objective was to protect equitable access to learning and build on the significant gains that students have enjoyed. The parties agreed to make the old language work to the extent we can and to continue the dialogue until the next round of bargaining where we can pursue longer-term solutions.

“Teachers will see reduced workloads and will be welcoming thousands of new colleagues into the system over the coming months. And students will benefit from knowing that they have access to the same learning opportunities as before.

“I want to thank the parties for the significant effort and professionalism that was brought to the table. I hope we can build on this constructive approach. Government and the BCTF are working collaboratively on files, such as the new curriculum and Aboriginal education. If we continue in a spirit of collaboration, I am confident we can deliver even better results for our students in the years ahead.”

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