The BC Teachers Federation is moving to phase 2 of job action, frustrated by stalled negotiations with the provincial government and the BC Public School Employers’ Association.
Four days of rotating walkouts will affect the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District on Tuesday, and the Sunshine Coast School District on Thursday.
Mike Ball, President of the Nanaimo District Teachers Association, says the main sticking points are wages, class size and composition.
Ball says Phase 2 will continue until the government brings more resources to the table. But Louise Herle, President of the Sunshine Coast Teachers Association, says the government seems unwilling to do that.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Peter Fassbender says he’s ‘disappointed’ by the plan to set up picket lines next week, and rolling teachers wages back by 10 per cent isn’t just a threat. Fassbender says he’s still hoping a deal will be reached by the end of the week to avoid the rotating walkouts.
The Nanaimo Ladysmith School District says it’s going to be sending a letter home on Wednesday.
School District 46 on the Sunshine Coast notified parents yesterday, they will close schools on the day of the walkout.
