I copied this from a good friend. Very well said! Geneva Standbridge: If wages were truly the issue here, wed all be heading to Alberta or further east in Canada where teachers are paid $20,000 more per year. Theres already a teacher shortage looming because new teachers in BC are doing just that. But to the point at hand, the biggest issue on the table is class size and composition, which directly affects student learning, and the government refuses to even talk about it. We bargained for these issues fairly in our contract in the late 90s, the government agreed to it as did we, then just a few years later in 2002 they stripped those clauses entirely from our contract. Illegally so according to two (count them, TWO) BC Supreme Court rulings, but the government is appealing yet a third time - throwing millions into legal fees instead of doing as ordered and restoring those all-important clauses to our contract. Just imagine for a moment that you were in our position. Youve signed a contract, something bargained and agreed to by both sides, and which provides for all students to get more of what they need. Then a few years later, your employer simply tears up that contract, rips out two-thirds of what you bargained fairly for, and gets away with it. The highest laws of the land have said your employer was illegal in their actions, but they ignore the law and carry on. This is exactly what were fighting, a government which holds itself above the law. If wages were really at issue, then our proposal on Friday which put us within 1% of the governments wage offer would have sealed the deal - but government continues to refuse to address class size and composition. THIS is synonymous with the quality of education. The government wants no class size limits, no guarantee of supports for those with needs, no limits on how many special needs kids are in a classroom - while our premier pays for her son to go to a private school at $18,000 per year where classes are small and there are actually librarians and counsellors available for all students. Isnt this what ALL students in our province deserve?
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 17:55:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015