B.C. teachers strike to start next week
First 4 days of rotating strikes will run May 26 until May 29.
Mike Laanela CBC News
Posted:May 20, 2014 7:52 AM PT
Last Updated:May 20, 2014 11:11 AM PT
During the last round of failed contract negotiations in 2012, striking teachers in staged a rally against back to work legislation at the legislature.
B.C.’s teachers will stage a rotating strike May 26 to May 29, affecting every school in the province, BCTF president Jim Iker announced this morning.
Under the rotating strike schedule, the province has been divided by the BCTF into four zones. Schools in every district of the province will be closed for one day each, over four days of rotating strikes. Classes will resume province-wide on Friday.
BCTF President Jim Iker says teachers will begin rotating strike action next week. (CBC)
Iker said the strike is in response to the threat of wage roll rollbacks made last week.
“Last week, teachers were hopeful when they saw the government and BCPSEA put out an olive branch by backing off the unrealistic 10-year term,” said Iker on Tuesday morning.
“But the next day, hope that this government would start negotiating in good faith faded when the employer announced a series of threats around wage rollbacks, lockouts, and attempts to divide teachers, parents, and students.”
On Friday the government threatened to cut teachers’ pay by five per cent because of the limited job action that started last month. The government also promised the teachers a $1,200 bonus if a six-year contract deal was signed by the end of the school year in June.
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.
“There are six days left before the first schools shut down.” he said. “I encourage Christy Clark and Peter Fassbender to be in touch, move off their unreasonable demands, and empower BCPSEA to negotiate a fair deal.”
Fassbender says he will respond to the BCTF strike plan this afternoon.
BCTF rotating strike schedule
Monday, May 26
- #5 – Southeast Kootenay
- #6 – Rocky Mountain
- #28 – Quesnel
- #39 – Vancouver
- #40 – New Westminster
- #48 – Sea to Sky
- #49 – Central Coast
- #59 – Peace River South
- #62 – Sooke
- #67 – Okanagan Skaha
- #72 – Campbell River
- #74 – Gold Trail
- #75 – Mission
- #78 – Fraser-Cascade
- #85 – Vancouver Island North
- #87 – Stikine
Tuesday, May 27
- #10 – Arrow Lakes
- #19 – Revelstoke
- #20 – Kootenay-Columbia
- #23 – Central Okanagan
- #27 – Cariboo-Chilcotin
- #35 – Langley
- #38 – Richmond
- #42 – Maple Ridge
- #52 – Prince Rupert
- #54 – Bulkley Valley
- #63 – Saanich
- #68 – Nanaimo
- #70 – Alberni
- #81 – Fort Nelson
- #83 – North Okanagan-Shuswap
Wednesday, May 28
- #34 – Abbotsford
- #37 – Delta
- #43 – Coquitlam
- #47 – Powell River
- #50 – Haida Gwaii
- #51 – Boundary
- #53 – Okanagan Similkameen
- #60 – Peace River North
- #61 – Greater Victoria
- #69 – Qualicum
- #73 – Kamloops Thompson
- #84 – Vancouver Island West
- #91 – Nechako Lakes
- #92 – Nisga’a
Thursday May, 29
- #8 – Kootenay Lake
- #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
- #82 – Coast MountainsSchool District
#93 (Conseil Scolaire Francophone)
- Schools will be closed with others in their local communities throughout the week.