Schools across School District 57 will be closed on Thursday as part of rotating strike action by teachers.
The B.C. Teachers' Federation is conducting one-day strikes this week at school districts around the province as part of the ongoing labour dispute between teachers and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association (BCSPEA).
"Schools will be behind pickets," BCTF local 571 president Tina Cousins said in an email. "[Superintendent Brian] Pepper has informed me that schools will be closed and buses will be cancelled."
According to the School District 57 website schools will be open as normal from today to Wednesday and reopen as normal on Friday.
Starting today teachers will be facing a partial lockout by the BCPSEA which represents the province's school districts in negotiations with teachers.
In a May 21 letter, BCSPEA public administrator Michael Marchbank warned the BCTF that if it escalated strike action it would immediately enforce a partial lockout including: restricting teachers from working 45 minutes before the beginning of their instructional time and more than 45 minutes after the end of instruction time; teachers will be prevented from working to evaluate education programs, attend most meetings or do professional development work.
In addition secondary school teachers will face a total lockout on June 25-26, and all teachers will be locked out starting on June 27.
Teachers will also face a 10 per cent wage reduction the day any strike action occurs, Marchbank wrote.
"We are very concerned about the partial lockout," Cousins said in an email. "We feel that this ill-conceived lockout notice was sent to cause confusion, misunderstanding and chaos. This is a disrespectful move towards teachers. Sending our system into chaos is no way to negotiate a collective agreement."
Cousins said she hopes the rotating strike will force the BCPSEA to come back to the table with a reasonable offer for teachers.
"Teachers are hopeful that the Christy Clark government and B.C. Public School Employers' Association will feel some pressure from this move and then show some meaningful movement," Cousins said. "We want a fair deal for teachers and better support for kids. That means the government needs to back away from it's unreasonable 10-year scheme, offer a fair salary increase, and improve learning conditions for our students."
