Panel data provided by Madison's Canadian Lumber Reporter.

Cooler Heads Needed in Teacher's Dispute

By Ben Meisner

As teachers in Prince George get set to vote on job action, it is time for some cooler heads to prevail in the teacher’s dispute.

Without exception, most sections of our society have received some sort of wage increase in the past few years. That also speaks about the current government.

Now if the government of the day wants to teacher bash lets hear the argument as to why people who are earning a salary of between $35,000 to a maximum of $66,000 per year, should be forced to work for those wages without the benefit of a collective agreement that has some very basic teeth, that being the right to withdraw service.

The old argument that the teachers get a couple of months off a year and therefore are receiving a fair salary just doesn’t hold water in this dispute. In many cases, the labour component in the province is able to work six months of the year and receive this type of better salary and surely we must be prepared to pay some sort of a premium for people we are asking to not only baby sit, but in many cases, raise our children.

We have in the past been fast to criticize this group of workers arguing that they always have their hand out. They have done a poor job of trying to make their case in the past and the simple fact in the labor impasse today, is that our teachers are not receiving a salary that is in line with other vocations, professions or whatever in this province.

I’m Meisner and that is one man’s opinion

Previous Story - Next Story



Return to Home