A day after the premier told reporters she would take a wait and see approach, leaked letters from the Ministry of Education show a 10 year deal will be the mandate at the table.
In a letter to the employer group, the BC Public School Employers Association, the ministry says a change in the bargaining mandate is pending.
The letter from Deputy Education Minister James Gorman says the new direction will better reflect the re-elected governments values, which means the premier's ten year deal.
In another letter to the BC teachers union, the education ministry advises the TF the new direction will significantly affect current talks.
The teachers' union and the employer have been quietly negotiating for months under a bargaining agreement was struck between the two sides.
Under the agreement the goal is to get a new deal done by July, but it is likely now what were civil talks are about to revert to form.
Below is the letter from the Ministry of Education to BCPSEA that was leaked to the media.
Dear Mr. Chell:
We write with regard to the recent provincial election and its potential impact on the current negotiations underway with the BC Teachers’ Federation.
You were sent a bargaining direction letter on behalf of BCPSEA, co-signed by the Deputy Minister of Education and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat, on February 15, 2013. With the election of a new government we are mindful of the BC Liberal election platform commitment “...to immediately begin discussions with BCPSEA and the BC Teachers’ Federation to achieve a 10 year collective agreement” after the election.
In light of this commitment, we write to advise that you should expect to receive a letter rescinding the previous bargaining direction letter and replacing it with one more reflective of the newly elected government’s priorities. This fact should be shared with the BC Teachers’ Federation in advance of further bargaining. The parties may wish to reconsider their upcoming bargaining dates until further direction is received.
We will arrange for you to meet with our respective Ministers to discuss next steps as soon as possible. We expect a new Cabinet to be appointed sometime in June.
Sincerely yours,
James Gorman Deputy Minister
Meanwhile, BC Teachers Federation President Susan Lambert says she was shocked to learn about the government position through the media.
Now that the news has sunk it a bit, Lambert says she's disappointed.
"so in terms of the process unfortunately it seems to conform to the same pattern of this government prior to the election and I'm quite disappointed in that but in terms of the ten year collective agreement being proposed we've only had one meeting with this government on this idea and that was in February with then minister Don McRae," says Lambert.
Lambert says there's nothing in the ten year deal that addresses class size or special-needs learning.