Teachers vote 99% for arbitration

NEWS/ SCHOOLS — B.C. teachers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of binding arbitration to end their dispute with the provincial government.

B.C. Teachers Federation Jim Iker announced on a live-streamed media conference Wednesday night that 30,669 teachers voted, with 99.4 per cent of them favouring binding arbitration.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender has already rejected binding arbitration as a means to reach a contract.

“We ask you again, to change your mind,” Iker said at the media conference, which got underway just after 9:30 p.m.

“Tonight, B.C. teachers voted overwhelmingly to call for binding arbitration that would see an end to the strike and open our schools,” Iker said.

“Tomorrow morning, custodial staff could be pulling chairs off desks, teachers could be setting up their classrooms, school counselers could be finalizing their timetables. And classes could start this week and our children could be learning.”

Iker re-stated the BCTF’s position that the provincial government must drop clause E80 from its proposal before arbitration can begin.

“If we’re going to get a deal, the government must show some good faith,” he said.

Fassbender immediately replied that the answer is no.

“As we have consistently made clear, binding arbitration would lead to unacceptable increases in this case. That’s because the two sides remain too far apart on wages and benefits,” the minister said.

“I will continue to call on the BCTF to suspend this strike and get into the affordability zone like 150,000 other hard-working women and men in the public sector who have settled this year.”