Teachers hit the streets of Richmond on Tuesday, striking against a provincial government they say has not come close to meeting their compromised demands for a fair contract.
(Photos Below)
At McNair secondary school, Jim Iker, president of the BC Teachers’ Federation, greeted dozens of teachers as well as locked out employees of Ikea.
Iker called the support from Ikea workers “priceless.”
Teachers also welcomed the support.
“It’s good to know the Teamsters are here to support us,” said Marlene Kenakin, a home economics teacher at McNair, wearing her ‘Fair Deal’ placard.
Josh Rai, of Teamsters Local 213, was one of a handful of supporters from Ikea.
“It’s all about solidarity and today is about the teachers,” said Rai, whose colleagues are past the one-year mark of a job dispute with the multinational home furnishing company.
For much of the morning Rai and Kenakin stood outside McNair on No. 4 Road. One man in a minivan stopped and handed out a box of donuts, while a majority of cars passing by honked and waved as a sign of support.
Meanwhile teachers at Mitchell elementary school and Cambie secondary seemed in good spirits, despite the prospect of more one-day strikes on the horizon and no end in sight to the dispute, which is focused on wages and class size and composition.
Iker told a throng of media at McNair he is not ruling out rotating strikes affecting Richmond next week.
“We’ll look to see if there’s any substantial movement at the bargaining table and make a decision on Wednesday whether to continue rotating strikes next week,” said Ike
“We’re still apart,” he said of negotiations that have reached an impasse on issues such as wage increases, length of term and class composition.
Iker called the latter the most important issue in the labour negotiation.
“We want to see, at least, minimal levels of our specialist teachers,” said Iker.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of individual attention,” he said, noting the B.C. Supreme Court has twice sided with the BCTF to have the rights to negotiate class composition.
Iker said public support is something the federation considers when, or if, it decides to escalate job action.
Teachers are presently partially locked out by the BC Public Employers’ Association, which is now deducting 10 per cent of their wages. Teachers are prohibited from being at school more than 45 minutes before and after classes and forbidden to work during recess and lunch.
The BCPEA has also threatened full-day lockouts at high schools during critical provincial exam periods (June 25-27).
The lockout followed graduated job action taken by the teachers earlier in the month, which saw them limit time spent at school before and after class hours, as well as supervision of children during non-class time. Teachers have also limited communications with administrators.
Last week Minister of Education Peter Fassbender offered a six-year contract as opposed to the 10-year contract it had previously been seeking. He also offered a $1,200 signing bonus, which has since been revoked.
According to the latest reports from both sides, the province is offering a 7.3 per cent raise over the six years while the BCTF is seeking 13.7 per cent over four years.
@WestcoastWood
