After negotiations on Saturday, both the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) and the government claim that the other side is not ready for a fair settlement in time for school to start.
Mediator Vince Ready walked out of negotiations Saturday, saying that the two parties remain too far apart to mediate at this time. Both sides admit that with the current situation, school will not start on Tuesday. However, the BCTF says they haven't given up yet.
(Photo Credit: Twitter)
BCTF President Jim Iker says that the teachers cut $125 million from their package on Saturday. However, he claims that the government is “unwilling to compromise”. According to Iker, Education Minister Peter Fassbender has said “Let the courts decide”, but has in reality insisted on terms that “would undo any future court decision.”
Meanwhile, Fassbender issued a statement saying that their package is both fair and “very near the limit of what we can afford.” According to the press release, Fassbender says the package includes a 7% wage increase and repeats that teachers are demanding far more than in compensation than in other agreements with more than 150,000 B.C. public-sector workers. He also claims that the current demands would put the province into deficit.
(Photo Credit: Twitter)
On the issue of legislating an end to the dispute, Fassbender says that “it would only keep us on the same dysfunctional treadmill that we've been on for the past 30 years.” The government is also asserting that the union's class size demands are “rigid” and that the proposed teacher ratios “only increase the number of teachers but won’t necessarily address the actual learning needs of students in classrooms.”
In contrast, Iker says that the government refuses to increase funding for supporting learning needs and that there was no effort to move on salary.
Despite accusations of stubbornness on each side, both sides say that they have been doing their best to make sure school starts on time.
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