There are no face-to-face bargaining sessions scheduled anytime soon between leaders of the teachers’ union in the province of British Columbia and government negotiators, after the province’s 41,000 public school teachers began their first day of a full-scale strike Tuesday (June17).
The strike began after the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the government failed to resolve their long-running contract dispute during weekend negotiations.
The province’s Education Minister Peter Fassbender said that although there was still lots of work to be done, it was a productive weekend of bargaining.
In a special website called A Fair Deal the teachers are appealing to parents: “Teachers are asking for support from parents to help us advocate for public education… to fight for your kids and their futures. And you only need to look at today’s headlines to see why we are taking a stand. All over BC, the provincial government is forcing school boards to eliminate programs, cut hundreds more teachers, and take away support for kids with special needs.”
More information:
CBC News – B.C. teachers’ strike: No talks scheduled as schools close – here
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.