BCTF, lead gov’t negotiator talk tentatively on ‘end game’

By MIKE YOUDS

The great divide between B.C. public school teachers and the provincial government may not be as wide as widely thought.

“What we’re trying to find is the end game,” KTTA president David Komljenovic said today (Monday).

After three weeks without bargaining efforts, BCTF president Jim Iker and lead government negotiator Peter Cameron spoke today (Monday) about how they might bring positions close enough so that mediation has a chance of succeeding.

Mediators have so far refused to get involved because they say the gap is too wide. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kelleher turned down a mediation request earlier this month but left the door cracked open, saying he could make himself available as mediator in August if the two sides can move closer.

Komljenovic feels they are not that far apart and there is, in effect, some jockeying of positions to move them closer to the table.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender has signalled that the government is ready to resume talks if the BCTF moves closer to the “affordability zone,” CBC reported on Monday. Last week, Finance Minister Mike de Jong said the government doesn’t intend to rush in with a legislated agreement if they can’t reach agreement before school resumes in September.

“In terms of where both parties are willing to go, it is within range of settlement,” Komljenovic said. “The problem is, the government takes it a step further.”

The government’s pre-condition for engaging in mediation — if mediation were to fail, the union would have to capitulate — left the BCTF with no incentive to go along, he said. Iker said he would accept no pre-conditions for mediation.

A starting point for the teachers is class size and composition, but if they can succeed in restoring that negotiating language in their contract, gains could be achieved over the long term, he suggested.

With a District 73 decision in late June to cancel summer school, KTTA pickets were withdrawn from local schools. That is also the case in Kelowna, Prince George and Vancouver, although pickets remain up in Surrey and Langley.

While the absence of local pickets lowers the profile of the dispute, the union opted to withdraw out of respect for support staff who work throughout the summer.

“Teachers do still want to be in the public eye, but a picket situation would have been difficult for support staff.”

Instead, KTTA intends to continue with periodic public rallies. The next one is planned for Aug. 4.