Students around B.C.were out of the classroom on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as teachers withdrew their services for three days.
Schools remained open, but administrators urged parents not to send their children to school during the job action.
The dispute between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the province has been ongoing since the end of June, when the teachers’ contract expired. Until this week, classes had not been disrupted.
In 2005, the last time negotiations between the teachers and the province broke down, teachers were off the job for two weeks.
Nobody benefits from such a job action.
In the private sector, a dispute between labour and management may result in strike action which affects the two sides involved. Customers are forced to go to other sources for the same products or services.
The effects of a public sector job action are much more noticeable.
The majority of school-aged children in the province, aside from those in private schools or home-school environments, are in public schools. For most students and families, the public school system is the only realistic choice they have.
Unlike a private sector labour dispute, a dispute between the province and the teachers will affect families most directly.
It is important to resolve this labour dispute in a way that is fair to the province and the teachers.
But it is also important to ensure the needs of parents and students are still being met.
Families and students should not be caught in the middle if the province and the teachers’ union are at an impasse.
Surely we can find a better way to resolve these disputes.