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No resolution seen in teacher dispute

The local head of the union representing provincial teachers does not foresee any immediate resolution to the contract dispute between teachers and the provincial government.

The local head of the union representing provincial teachers does not foresee any immediate resolution to the contract dispute between teachers and the provincial government.

“I don’t have a great deal of optimism...that a deal will be sorted out,” said Kevin Epp, president of the Okanagan-Skaha Teachers’ Union in an interview Friday afternoon.

Epp made this comment hours before representatives of the B.C. Public School Employers Association (BCPSEA) met Monday to discuss a number of potential responses to the job actions, which teachers across the province had initiated with the start of the new school year.

According to published reports, the BCPSEA considered a report that offered three separate options: locking out teachers, cutting their pay and forcing the union rather than the employer to pay for benefits during a strike.

B.C. Public School Employers’ Association chairwoman Melanie Joy told the Vancouver Sun that Monday’s meeting sought to gauge support for measures designed to put pressure on teachers.

“In negotiation, having that power equilibrium, where both sides feel the pressure, is important,” she told the paper. “The other side at some point has to feel pressure, too, or there’s no incentive to move forward at the bargaining table. If [the teachers’ union] members aren’t feeling it, it makes it difficult, it makes it stagnant.”

The B.C. Labour Relations Board would have to approve any of these measures.

B.C. Teachers Federation president Susan Lambert has denounced the measures as irresponsible.

“Why would the employer be considering such provocative proposals when teachers across the province are still teaching and meeting students’ needs—despite the underfunding, large classes, scant resources, and lack of services for students with special needs?” Lambert asked in a BCTF press release.

This latest development comes about one month after teachers had initiated limited job actions. They include a reduction in supervision duties, no preparation or distribution of report cards, no parent-teacher meetings and withdrawal from some extracurricular activities.

Locally, the actions affect about 6,400 students across K-12.