The Labour Relations Board has ruled B.C. teachers can withdraw from extracurricular activities as part of their contract dispute with the government, but they can't skip parent-teacher meetings and other school meetings.
The B.C. Teachers Federation directed its members to withdraw from extracurricular activities like coaching and arts performances after the provincial government brought in legislation to end job action in the schools, including teachers' refusal to write report cards.
The B.C. Public School Employers Association went to the LRB to complain that withdrawing from extra-curricular activities constituted an illegal strike in violation of the legislation.
Ritu Mahil, vice-chairman of the board, has ruled the withdrawal from voluntary activities outside class time does not constitute an illegal strike, but the ban on parent-teacher and other school meetings does, and Mahil has ordered the union to stop such action.
BCTF President Susan Lambert says the ruling on extracurricular activities is a significant legal victory for teachers because it clarifies the distinction between voluntary and non-voluntary work.
The union and school employers have also been at the LRB arguing over the qualifications of the mediator the government appointed in the dispute, with the BCTF saying Charles Jago is biased and should be dismissed from the post.
