Coast Mountain News Thursday, June 5, 2014
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Valley Gallery showcases young artists Page 6
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Vol. 30 | No. 11 Thursday, July 5, 2014
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Bella Coola Elementary Kindergarten students visit Snootli Hatchery on a field trip. Extra curricular activities such as field trips have been under scrutiny during the recent job action by BC teachers.
Rotating strikes continue to affect schools across the province BY CAITLIN THOMPSON Local schools shut down for the day on May 26 in recognition of the job action brought forth by BC Teachers in their latest dispute with the BC Government. Teachers have been without a contract since June 2013, and despite ongoing negotiations since last April 2013, there have been little results. While many people may be getting tired of the situation, it’s nothing new. The government and the BCTF have been at odds for years, and it doesn’t look as though either side is willing to
budge. They are miles apart on critical points such as bargaining rights, class sizes, and benefits, and the teachers haven’t had a negotiated contract in 10 years. The government has cut teachers’ salaries by ten percent because of the job action, saying that if that they are doing less work, they get less pay. But this has left several areas in a state of confusion. Local President of the Central Coast Teacher’s Association, Marc Hedges, says that the clawback has created confusion for teacher’s trying to do their jobs. At present, teachers are in a ‘lock out’ situation,
whereby they are not allowed to work during non-instructional hours (such as recess) with the exception of 45 minutes before and after school hours. This is the time when most teachers do their assessments and other duties, such as report cards. “The British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association directed the union that teachers are under partial lock out to justify this 10 percent reduction in salary,” said Hedges. “This means that if we perform any duties during these lockout hours, such as recess, we may not be covered by WCB and may face possible discipline. So, if a teacher gets injured on the job
while helping a child during these time periods, they may not have WorkSafe BC coverage.” However, it is far from black and white. “There has never been a partial lockout situation like this in the history of BC labour,” said Hedges. “The district hasn’t given us any direction on what we can and can’t do to justify this salary deduction of ten percent. Are field trips covered during lock out hours? Are extracurricular activities covered? It’s simply unclear at this time.” The government has stated that this isn’t the case, but the BCTF remains cautious. Meanwhile, contract negotia-
tions continue behind closed doors. Key issues include wages and class size and composition. British Columbia Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker said there won’t be a deal unless the government is prepared to put appropriate class size limits, class size composition guarantees and guaranteed staffing levels for specialist teachers into the contract. At present, Kindergarten is capped at 22 students and Grade’s one to three are capped at 24 students. Grades four and above are more flexible, as individual districts have more control over the composition. SEE CLOSED ON PAGE 3