B.C.’s 45,000 teachers reach tentative agreement

VANCOUVER – A tentative agreement has been reached with British Columbia’s 45,000 public school teachers.

The provincial government announced in news release the deal focuses on improving services for students and offering fair and affordable compensation.

Details of the contract won’t be released until after it’s ratified, although the government says the deal was reached under the guidelines of its sustainable services negotiating mandate.

In 2019, that mandate included two-per-cent wage increase over each of three years.

The tentative agreement covers just over 45,000 teachers represented by the BC Teachers’ Federation who deliver education to students in the province’s 60 school districts.

A tweet by the teachers’ federation says the executive committee is recommending that the agreement be accepted.

This report by The Canadian Press was published March 26, 2020.