No strike in September for teachers: president of the BC Teacher’s Federation

VANCOUVER – The president of the BC Teacher’s Federation is indicating there will be no strike in September.

Jim Iker says in an email to members that the government and union are postponing bargaining as they head to court.

Iker says 19 days this month are scheduled in B.C. Supreme Court over a 2011 ruling that declared the government had violated constitutional rights by denying the union the right to bargain over class size, composition and staffing levels.

Negotiations are expected to resume in early October.

There have also been concerns that a strike by education workers, who are also in talks with the government, will prompt teachers to refuse to cross picket lines.

But a spokesman for those workers says bargaining is scheduled through the first week of school, and as long as talks are moving forward, there are no immediate plans for job action.

(News1130)