Once again contract talks between the government and the teachers union have failed to progress and teachers have begun low-level job action to attempt to get talks started again. No doubt over the coming weeks and perhaps months parents and other citizens will hear from the parties as to why talks have failed to progress and many will wonder who to believe.
Consider this: The last time the parties bargained, the government bargained in bad faith. That was proven in BC Supreme Court using cabinet documents and the testimony of the government's chief negotiator who, faced with confirming the documents or perjuring himself under oath, confirmed that during the last job action the government adopted a strategy to antagonized the teachers until they escalated the strike so that government could legislate a new contract that included two years of zero salary increases. The government was found to have bargained in bad faith and fined a record two million dollars.
Even while the government engaged in this strategy the Education Minister was falsely telling parents and teachers that they wished to reach a negotiated settlement. This was proven in court to be false. This time around you might hear Minister Fassbender (Factbender to teachers) repeat many of the same things the former minister said. The track record is clear. The government has not been honest with teachers or parents and have been found guilty in the Supreme Court of passing illegal Charter-violating legislation twice and engaging in bad faith negotiations. The minster and the premier lack credibility so take anything you hear from them with a grain of salt. Only the teachers have bargained in good faith and won in court. The truth prevails once in a while.
This time around expect that the government will once again default to legislation or a rigged mediation/arbitration. They have proven that they don't believe teachers enjoy the same Charter protections as other British Columbians such as the right to good faith collective bargaining.Meanwhile, relationships will continue to deteriorate between teachers and local school authorities who have enforced an illegal contract for twelve years.
Matt Pearce
Prince George
