School trustees urge B.C. government and teachers to get back to bargaining now

VANCOUVER – School trustees in B.C. are calling on striking teachers and the government to immediately resume bargaining now that both sides have agreed a mediator must step in to resolve the labour dispute.

BC School Trustees Association president Teresa Rezansoff has sent a letter to the teachers’ union and the government’s bargaining agent, urging them to commit to non-stop, face-to-face bargaining until a settlement is reached.

In the letter, Rezansoff says she’s extremely disappointed that the impasse has continued into the last week of school, leaving the public education system in turmoil and students stuck in the middle.

She says the interruption in negotiations is damaging, unnecessary and unacceptable in the face of a mutual agreement for a mediated deal to end the strike that’s now into its second week.

Rezansoff says suspending strike and lock-out actions until a mediator is found would be an act of good faith by both parties and allow students to end the school year with their teachers.

The BC Teachers’ Federation and the BC Public School Employers Association are in discussions about a possible mediator.