Parents in British Columbia are rushing to make plans for their children for when teachers walk off the job next week.
A series of one-day rotating strikes begins on Monday and will hit every district and school in the province within four days. The BC Teachers' Federation warns the next phase of strike action will escalate if they don’t see any progress in the bargaining process with the province.
Teachers will be off the job for one day in Vancouver, New Westminster and 14 other districts across B.C. Monday.
The Vancouver district’s school superintendent sent home a letter to parents advising them to keep their children at home that day. However, if children go to school they will not be sent home.
The single day shutdowns will continue in every other district next week except for Friday.
Related: List of school strikes starting next week in B.C.
Parents who spoke with CTV News said they feel caught in the middle, saying they’ll have to schedule additional child care or take a day off work.
Contract talks are scheduled to resume Thursday between the teachers union and public school employers, but the rhetoric is ramping up and insiders say there’s a good chance progress will be slow.
B.C. has threatened to cut teacher’s salaries by five per cent if an agreement isn’t signed by the end of June.
In response, BCTF President Jim Iker says teachers have no choice but to take bold action.
"The government's recent antagonistic behavior makes it clear that it's time to take a strong stand,” Iker told reporters.
But B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender says the BCTF needs to “be realistic.”
In March, the union voted overwhelmingly in support of a strike. The first phase of job action began last month, when teachers stopped supervising children outside of the classroom.
Have your say: Is job action by B.C. teachers having a negative impact on you?
