Teachers urge province ‘to step up’ and negotiate

A net-zero offer will always be a nonstarter for teachers when it comes to their ongoing collective bargaining, says Delta Teachers’ Association president Paul Steer.

“Teachers who are on strike look forward to a renewal of the terms of their employment and look forward to a negotiated end to the strike but are unwilling to accept government’s net-zero mandate, which would really deliver a reduction in salaries and benefits for teachers in real terms, once inflation is factored in,” Steer said.

The B.C. Teachers’ Federation last week tabled a new bargaining position, calling for a 15 per cent pay hike in a three-year deal. The union has also modified some of its proposals for improved benefits.

Total cost of the union’s new proposals would be $300 million.

The union’s contract expired June 30. BCTF and the BC Public School Employers’ Association have been in contract talks since last summer but have made little progress.

The union had demanded wages that are in line with those offered in Alberta and Ontario, a sharp contrast from the BCPSEA’s position.

Surrey Teachers’ Association president Denise Moffatt said the union’s new position shows that teachers are willing to compromise to reach a new negotiated settlement.

“We understand that to get a deal it’s going to take some compromise but now we need the government to step up and they need to show that they’re willing to make an agreement, too,” Moffat said Monday.

“Our first hope is that we get a negotiated settlement,” Moffat said.

“If there’s no change we’ll talk to the membership and certainly you have to talk about every possibility.”