With just days to go before B.C. schools鈥� support staff return to the bargaining table hoping for a wage hike, the president of the teachers union said its members would refuse to cross another union鈥檚 picket lines.
鈥淚f it comes to that point, we will honour picket lines,鈥� said B.C. Teachers鈥� Federation president Jim Iker. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping it doesn鈥檛 get there.鈥�
The schools鈥� 27,000 education assistants, clerks, tradesworkers and others support staff have voted in favour of striking if negotiations set for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday don鈥檛 produce a settlement.
The workers, who have been without a contract for more than a year and haven鈥檛 had a pay raise in four years, are requesting a two per cent increase in each of two years.
The province has said the money for any increases will have to come out of the school boards鈥� budgets under the 鈥渃o-operative gains鈥� mandate, which says there will be no new government money for wage hikes.
CUPE spokesman Clay Suddaby said: 鈥淲e remain hopeful that the government will comes to the table prepared to bargain and negotiate in the way they ought to so there will be real negotiations and we can get a settlement next week.鈥�
91原创 School Board chairwoman Patti Bacchus has said boards don鈥檛 have the money for the wage hikes and successful negotiations will require more government funding.
Education Minister Peter Fassbender has said he hopes a strike won鈥檛 be necessary.
The BCTF said parents will be provided with enough notice to make babysitting plans for school-age children because the union would have to issue 72 hours鈥� strike notice.
Meanwhile, the BCTF is headed to B.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 9 for a month of arguments for clarification on an earlier court ruling that spokeswoman Nancy Knickerbocker said would force the government to return bargaining language to contracts it removed more than a decade ago.
