06) B.C. TEACHERS WIN BIG

 

People's Voice Editorial

 

            British Columbia teachers have won a major court victory, with implications across Canada. In a Jan. 27 ruling, the BC Supreme Court restored collective agreement provisions stripped in 2002 under then‑premier Gordon Campbell, whose Education Minister was Christy Clark, the current premier. The province was also ordered to pay the BC Teachers Federation $2 million in damages plus court costs.

 

            This has been a marathon battle for the teachers, targetted by the Liberals since Campbell was elected in 2001. The 2002 legislation was already declared unconstitutional in 2011, when a judge found that by removing class‑size limits and class‑composition guarantees, the government had damaged learning conditions in schools across British Columbia. The Liberals were given one year to restore the bargaining rights illegally removed nine years previously. Instead, they arrogantly reintroduced the same unconstitutional provisions.

 

            As the BCTF points out, children who were in kindergarten when the bills were passed are now in Grade 12, having spent their entire school careers in larger classes with fewer resources. The legislation removed provisions that guaranteed smaller classes, support for students with special needs, and services from teacher‑librarians, counsellors, and other specialists. The contract‑stripping allowed the government to slash hundreds of millions of dollars from education budgets, forcing school boards to cut programs, close more than 200 schools, and eliminate 3,500 teaching positions.

 

            Whenever pro‑corporate governments engage in similar illegal union‑bashing, this ruling provides a useful weapon to fight back, and to help build mass resistance. But it also appears likely that Premier Christy "Cutback" Clark, still a bitter enemy of public education, will appeal the ruling. In the meantime, provincial spending annually per student in British Columbia remains a shocking ninth out of ten provinces, and a shameful $1000 below the Canadian average. This fight is a long way from finished.

 

(The above article is from the February 1-14, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)