School buses stay parked today as rotating teachers’ strike reaches Kamloops-Thompson

NEWS — If your kids are waiting at the bus stop this morning (Wednesday), they’ll be out of luck. Buses in School District 73 aren’t running, due to the rotating strike by teachers.

Schools and work sites in the Kamloops-Thompson district will remain open today but they will be behind picket lines and there will be no classes. Students won’t be able to enter school buildings due to lack of supervision.

The strike in Kamloops comes on day three of a four-day rotation that will see every school in every district of the province picketed. As a result of the job action, the B.C. Public Sector Employees Association, which bargains for the provincial government, has clamped a partial lockout on teachers, restricting their access to school and docking their pay.

Kamloops-Thompson is one of 15 school districts being struck today. Others include Okanagan Similkameen, Abbotsford, Delta and Greater Victoria.

Teachers want a 13.7 per cent pay increase over four years while the BCPSEA is offering 7.3 per cent over six years.

An elementary school 1,500-metre competition was cancelled Monday and the district elementary track event scheduled for Tuesday was also cancelled.

Thompson Rivers University is hosting a Sports Camp for kids aged six to 12 today to help fill the gap. The Kamloops Art Gallery is hosting an art camp for kids four to six and seven to 12.