Teachers Call For Independent Mediator
Prince George, BC – With two days to go before a fact-finder’s report is due in to the Labour Minister, the BC Teachers Federation is calling for an independent mediator to step into its ongoing dispute with the BC Public School Employers’ Association.
Deputy Minister of Industrial Relations, Trevor Hughes, was appointed to meet with both sides back on February 9th, he was charged with answering the question, "Can the two parties come to a voluntary settlement?"
The BCTF says they’ve held three meetings with Hughes, during which they’ve outlined teachers’ bargaining objectives. President Susan Lambert says, unfortunately, his role has been defined as simply providing a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to that simplistic question.
"We need an independent mediator (to be designated under the Labour Relations Board) to do the more nuanced and challenging work of finding common ground, pushing needed compromise, and bringing us closer together," says Lambert.
The teachers are hoping Education Minister George Abbott will hear, and heed, their call. Hughes’ report is due in to Labour Minister Margaret MacDiarmid on Thursday.
Comments
Why bother? The government has set this up to fail. How can you negotiate with someone that says let’s talk but we will not offer you anything , we will only talk about how much to cut you back.
On another note, I heard Abbott on CBC radio yesterday. He was saying that the attitude of teachers was not good. Yah, you illegally striped their contract 3 times. Found guilty 3 times and you wonder why the attitude is not trusting.
Every teacher in the province should resign if they force another settlement….no raise-no work….it’s the only way to fight back.
I’d be more interested in both the teachers and government to call for joining the 21st century.
Some of the history of our school system, especially some surprising information about multiple-choice tests is found in this Harvard Business Review podcast:
http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2011/11/the-myth-of-monotasking.html
I think as long as the teachers are getting the same cost of living increase as the rest of us lackies around BC, then both parties should settle. A mediator with that in mind would help a lot.
I guess I resent that sometimes unionized employees get to live as if a recession ISN’T actually occurring, and sometimes governments want to treat public employees like second class citizens.
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