Teachers in the Canadian province of British Columbia (B.C.) have lost the right to negotiate class size and composition in contract bargaining with the provincial government. The province’s Court of Appeal ruled that a decision by the government to take out contract clauses on class size and composition was constitutional.
The decision (made public Thursday, April 30) overturns a B.C. Supreme Court ruling decision early last year that government legislation contravened the teachers’ Charter rights to free collective bargaining, and that the government was guilty of bad faith bargaining.
The president of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) Jim Iker will ask for leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Federation’s Twitter account tweeted comments from Jim Iker’s comments at a press conference following the ruling including “We fundamentally disagree with the decision which focuses on pre-legislative consultation by government” and “A government should not be able to just dictate what they want, simply talk to the union, and force it by legislation.”
More information:
Court of Appeal for British Columbia decision – here
CBC News – B.C. teachers lose right to bargain class size, composition – here
The Tyee – Court Sides with BC Gov’t in Battle over Teacher Bargaining Rights – here
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