Two days before school was scheduled to start for B.C. public school children, the teachers’ union and the government were no closer to ending the dispute.
“School is not going to be opening Tuesday,” Education Minister Peter Fassbender confirmed at a press conference on Sunday.
The details of the closed-door discussions that ended Saturday night with mediator Vince Ready declaring an impasse became more clear.
“The option is for the BCTF to realize a $300 million gap with what every other public union sector union has settle for is unacceptable and unrealistic,” Fassbender said.
BCTF President Jim Iker spoke at a separate press conference on Sunday where he said the weekend negotiations were futile.
"This weekend we did not see one critical move from government that would actually put resources to the bargaining table to resolve this," Iker said.
According to government negotiator Peter Cameron, the government is offering a $170 million increase in wages and benefits over the five-year time frame of the union’s proposal. Meanwhile the BCTF is asking for $336 million in the same period. The $166 million difference does not include a signing bonus of $150 million.
The teachers' union says that there is only one per cent separating the parties on wages which costs the government about $26 million per year. The union says that the strike comes down to $3 per day per student.
The government accused the BCTF of trying to force back-to-work legislation but Fassbender said that is not the case.
“We are not going to legislate,” Fassbender said. “It puts us back into the same position we've been for far too long.”
Labour relations expert John Fryer said this likely means the strike could drag on.
“You have an immovable force meeting an immovable object,” Fryer said. “So I guess what the scenario is, is a long drawn out strike of the public school system."
The BCTF is now demanding a meeting with B.C. Premier Christy Clark.
“It’s time for Premier Clark to sit down with us,” Iker said. “She can no longer sit on the sidelines.”
For now there are no talks planned and more than half a million B.C. students will have an extended summer vacation.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Sheila Scott
