B.C.’s education minister says he has “no idea” what the details and preconditions are of a binding arbitration proposal suggested by the provincial teachers union, but he's still in favour of a negotiated settlement.
Peter Fassbender said the government has not seen any of the conditions that would go into binding arbitration, but he believes the only solution to the longstanding teachers strike is to have “both parties at the table.”
“I’ve never been a fan of binding arbitration,” he told reporters. “I do not relish giving over our responsibility to a third party to make decisions."
Fassbender reiterated that the B.C. government would not legislate teachers back to work.
Earlier in the day, BCTF President Jim Iker said the union will allow teachers to vote on the resolution if the government agrees to it.
Iker said binding arbitration is a last-ditch effort after mediation efforts broke down last weekend.
“What we need is the pressure to continue, the pressure on government, the pressure on members,” he said.
The union is also asking the province to drop its proposal to keep class composition and sizes at current levels.
Iker’s remarks come a day after B.C. teachers were asked by the province – again – to suspend their strike.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender told CTV News that schools could be back open by Monday if the B.C. Teachers’ Federation agreed to send its members back to work.
