Dear Editor:
Although I can't say whether or not the chances of a labour dispute between the B.C. Teachers' Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association is more or less likely under an NDP government, the North Shore News should check the accuracy of submitted letters before publishing them (Teacher Strike Apologists Need a History Lesson, July 15, North Shore News).
Perhaps it's letter writer Mo Amir who needs a history lesson. He is incorrect when he says that the B.C. teachers were legislated back to work in 1998.
The teachers were not legislated "back." In fact, the BCTF leadership negotiated a contract directly with government, and it was ratified by the teachers. This agreement included reductions in class size at the K-3 level, staffing ratios for nonenrolling teachers and improvements in teacheron-call pay and provisions. The reason that it was legislated was that the BCPSEA would not ratify it.
In 1993, two locals were legislated back to work by (the NDP) government of the day, Surrey and Vancouver. In May of 1996, with the assistance of the provincial government, the BCTF and BCPSEA successfully achieved a "transitional agreement." Then came the above-mentioned 1998 agreement.
(Editor's note: The NDP government of Ujjal Dosanjh also legislated an end to a one-week teachers' strike in 2000.)
Compare that to the Liberal record with the BCTF. After months of negotiations, the Liberals, through legislation, gave the employers their entire bargaining agenda and more. A decade ago, Bill 28, Public Education Flexibility and Choice Act, stripped away any and all provisions concerning non-enrolling teachers as well as language concerning class size and composition - including the language governing the inclusion of students with special needs. This effectively nullified the agreement from 1998 in regard to class size and composition. Bill 27 also eliminated 10 locally negotiated collective agreements. Although teachers received a salary increase, the government refused to fund it beyond year one, which forced boards to downsize the teaching force by approximately 2,000.
BCTF challenged the legislation in court and won. The legislation was deemed unconstitutional in April of 2011 and the government was given a year to resolve the situation.
Now, in 2012 the Liberals have introduced a draconian piece of legislation in Bill 22, designed to further erode the rights of teachers and the education of our children. Bill 22 repeals and then legislates the parts of Bills 27/28 that stripped class-size and composition contract language - and that were ruled unconstitutional by the B.C. Supreme Court - back into effect.
Is it any wonder that the expectation would be for things to be better under the NDP?
It certainly won't be worse.
Kathy Couch Nelson
