Just for the record sports fans all the news you wont get. This from the BCTF website: Here’s the thing, Premier Clark: we would not be on strike if your government would come to the table seriously prepared to negotiate this very issue. We have to ask, is the Premier credible when she says she wants to improve class composition for kids? While her whole address was disturbing, here are a few items we must refute. “Only the teachers can end the strike.” It takes two sides to bargain. The BCTF has revised its bargaining package not once, not twice, but three times. BCPSEA has not put one additional penny on the table for working and learning conditions since bargaining began 18 months. Time is long overdue for BCPSEA to step up. Premier Clark also neglected to mention that BCPSEA locked out teachers and cut our pay by 10%. “There’s $375 million on the table for class composition.” In case you didn’t notice, not once did the Premier mention class size in her address. Regardless, the $375 million the Premier talked about is existing Learning Improvement Fund (LIF) money. There’s no new money. And the $375 million is actually $75 million over five years. Furthermore, the LIF regulation refers to a consultative process, but does not guarantee anything other than that. All the Premier is offering to do is move where LIF lives—from legislation to the collective agreement. Nothing would improve. “Peter (Fassbender) wanted to bargain all summer.” Seriously? It took BCTF President Jim Iker 14 days of calling and urging in order to get a single meeting with BCPSEA chief negotiator, Peter Cameron, on August 8. “Teachers have to be reasonable. They want an extra day off for secondary teachers and unlimited massage.” Someone forgot to inform the Premier that these items have already been removed from the table. And no one was asking for an extra day off. All teachers deserve additional planning time, especially when trying to meet the diverse needs of students in large classes. As for unlimited massage, this was nothing but a quick soundbite to try and make us look greedy, and “unlimited” was never on the table. On behalf of members, as adopted by the representative BCTF Bargaining Conference, the bargaining team was seeking improvements in Extended Health Benefits, including supports for members with chronic health issues. It’s unconscionable for a Premier to cherry pick items from the bargaining table to flaunt them on television. Reporters asked a number of sharp questions asking her why she was trying to provoke teachers yet again. She had no answer, except to say that teachers need to get back to the classroom. Here’s the thing, Premier Clark: Teachers want to be back doing what we love to do and that is to teach kids, but we need the resources to do our job effectively. It’s time for your government to do the right thing. Come to the table and negotiate a fair deal for teachers and better support for kids.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 07:01:24 +0000
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