While arguments can be made for the provincial government’s zero wage mandate – B.C. was projected to be on course for a $3.1 billion deficit as of late-November – there seems to be a trend amongst various levels of government to quash the collective bargaining process.
Despite the filibustering efforts of the federal NDP, the Conservative majority passed Canada Post back-to-work legislation last June and union members were obviously not pleased. More recently, Air Canada workers were legislated back to work by the federal government – pilots are challenging the legislation.
On the provincial level, teachers are angry about the passage of Bill 22 – the Education Improvement Act, which passed last week.
While teachers did walk off the job for three days prior to spring break, they won’t be allowed to do that anymore, as there is a “cooling-off period” for six months and very stiff fines if they decide to defy the legislation.
According to Bill 22, individual teachers could be fined $475 per day and the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) could be fined $1.3 million a day if they strike again during the cooling-off period or don’t resume full duties.
In the case of BCTF officials or locals, they must not impede or prevent people from complying with the legislation.
BCTF President Susan Lambert, who was re-elected for another year on Tuesday, brought up an interesting point regarding the potential fines recently.
She drew a comparison from the fines that teachers could face for striking during the cooling off period to the fines that British Petroleum faced for the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Senior secondary school students need to be in class and need grades for post secondary but fining the BCTF in the neighbourhood of $1 million seems a little excessive.
A mediator for the teachers’ dispute must be appointed by B.C. Minister of Education George Abbott, according to Bill 22, and at the very least, the optics suggest that favours the government as opposed to an independent mediator appointed by the Labour Relations Board.
While back-to-work legislation isn’t new, it seems that more and more that various levels of government are trying to hinder the rights of workers to collectively bargain.
School District 51 announced at a recent board meeting that it would write a letter to the Ministry of Education asking for a return to free collective bargaining, something the ministry and government should take to heart.