Besides debating how teachers can respond to Bill 22 at the BC Teachers' Federation annual convention this weekend, BCTF president Susan Lambert was also fighting to keep her seat as the leader of the union.
Rich Guenther is challenging Lambert for presidency during a time when the union is locked in a labour dispute with the government. Since last September, the province's teachers have been engaging in limited job action and demanding a wage increase as well as changes to class sizes and teaching conditions.
Lambert will continue to be the face of the BCTF until an election on Tuesday. Guenther, a BCTF executive member, said he believes the union's reputation needs to be altered, and that the relationship between teachers and the government needs to be amended.
"I think we've gotten into a habit of being confrontational when perhaps we could have chosen an alternative course," he said. "I believe that we can achieve more when we have good working relationships with government than when we take an antagonistic approach to things."
On Saturday, Bill 22 was put into effect and ended the teachers' job action. The controversial legislation bans teachers from going on strike, forces them to write report cards again, imposes a cooling off period, and appoints a mediator to facilitate contract negotiations.
Teachers from Delta and Okanagan Skaha attending the union meeting in Vancouver told CTV on Saturday that they plan to protest against Bill 22 by phasing out the supervision of extracurricular activities
Lambert, however, did not disclose any details about what teachers discussed behind closed doors on the weekend. She said teachers are "debating the full range of possibilities—from nothing to everything," in terms of their response to Bill 22.
She said parents will be given as much notice as possible of what teachers plan to do next week.
With files from CTV British Columbia's Ed Watson
