On Thursday, the province unveiled the carrot, and on Friday, it revealed its stick in negotiations with B.C. teachers.
The head negotiator for B.C. Public School Employers芒鈧劉 Association, Peter Cameron, said teachers芒鈧劉 wages will be cut by five per cent if a deal is not reached by the end of June.
芒鈧揟eachers are not doing certain things,芒鈧� Cameron said Friday, referring to recent job action. 芒鈧揟hey芒鈧劉re working less, they芒鈧劉ll be paid less.芒鈧�
Teachers have stopped meeting and communicating in writing with administrators, and are not supervising students during non-instructional time. Some districts have seen teachers stop going on field trips.
On Thursday, education minister and former 91原创 City Mayor Peter Fassbender unveiled a new offer that gave in to one of the BC Teachers芒鈧劉 Federation芒鈧劉s major complaints. He backed off on forcing a 10-year contract, proposing six years instead.
Because the current contract expired a year ago, negotiations would begin again in five years.
The government also offered a $1,200 signing bonus for teachers if a contract was settled by the end of the school year.
Teachers have moved from a proposed three-year contract term to a four-year term, and on Thursday, BCTF president Jim Iker was positive about the new announcement on Thursday.
Cameron said the government is offering 7.3 per cent wage increases over six years, but did not have much to say about movement on class size and composition, the other major demand of the teachers.
Teachers want smaller classes and more resources for special needs students.
芒鈧揟heir proposal would have worse outcomes than the present [system],芒鈧� Cameron told the news conference.
He also said it had 芒鈧揾uman rights problems,芒鈧� and that it would be more expensive, in total, than the teachers芒鈧劉 actual wage demands, which he also said were out of line with other recently negotiated wage settlements across the province.
91原创 Teachers Association (LTA) president Gail Chaddock-Costello rejected the idea that teachers were doing less work because they had stopped supervision of students.
芒鈧揑f they芒鈧劉re not doing that, they芒鈧劉re doing other things,芒鈧� she said, including meeting with parents, prepping for lessons or marking.
She was surprised by the suggestion of an imminent wage cut, and said in her opinion it seemed like the government would have to go the Labour Relations Board to try that.
芒鈧揟hreats and intimidation are no way to get a deal at the bargaining table,芒鈧� Chaddock-Costello said.
She was surprised by the news after both sides moved closer on the contract length on Thursday.
芒鈧揑t did seem quite positive,芒鈧� she said of the previous day芒鈧劉s developments.
