B.C. students are facing another day of strike action today.
Both sides in the teachers’ dispute are going to be back at the bargaining table this morning.
It’s the second week of rotating strike action by teacher, but parents and school kids are growing tired of the situation.
Neither the BC Teachers’ Federation nor the provincial government have publicly changed their proposals since the job action began.
BCTF President Jim Iker says he still thinks a deal with the government is possible.
“I bring optimism and hope into my job as the BCTF president,” says Iker. “We have been clear about compromise and moving forward, not backward. We need the government to start showing some willingness that they are going to address issues of smaller class size, class composition guarantees, the nature of the classroom, and making sure there are minimal levels of specialist teachers.”
Education Minister Peter Fassbender says they have been willing to bargain 24/7 all along.
“We are there in good faith. We have made significant movement: reducing the term from 10 years to six, putting a signing bonus on the table for every single teacher. But we have to respect other labour unions that we have negotiated with as well,” says Fassbender.
Students are organizing a provincewide walkout on Wednesday, the only day this week when unionized teachers are not holding rotating strike action.
Meanwhile, a track and field meet is a go ahead for North Vancouver students today after it was initially called off because of the labour unrest.
A group of parents is now stepping up to supervise the meet meaning the event can go ahead.
District school officials had originally cancelled today’s meet at Swangard Stadium since North Vancouver is one of the 15 districts affected by today’s rotating strikes.
More than 1,500 kids were signed up to take part.
The list of school districts affected today:
- #10 – Arrow Lakes
- #19 – Revelstoke
- #22 – Vernon
- #33 – Chilliwack
- #36 – Surrey
- #41 – Burnaby
- #44 – North Vancouver
- #45 – West Vancouver
- #46 – Sunshine Coast
- #57 – Prince George
- #58 – Nicola Similkameen
- #64 – Gulf Islands
- #71 – Comox
- #79 – Cowichan Valley
- #81 – Fort Nelson
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