January/February 2025
As we step into this new year, we enter into the last six months of our current collective agreement. Many members have been hard at work at their local bargaining tables, which opened in November, and continue to fight to improve their local conditions. To all the folks who worked tirelessly to advocate for members at the local bargaining tables, thank you.
Now, as those tables come to a close, the Federation continues preparation for the provincial bargaining table to open. I am grateful that we will be represented by such a dedicated and passionate group of teachers at the provincial bargaining table. You can read more about each member of the Provincial Bargaining Team in this edition.
In late fall, the Federation sent letters to Premier David Eby and the new Minister of Education and Child Care Lisa Beare, to outline our objectives for public education. We hope the mandate letter to the Minister will provide clear direction on a long-term, fully funded work force strategy that speaks to the growing gaps in services to students across BC.
Our letter to the Premier also highlights some of the stated priorities from the NDP’s election platform: mental health counsellors in every public school and education assistant support for students. As we work with this new government, we will hold them accountable for each promise made during the election period.
I am looking forward to building relationships with the new government and Minister of Education and Child Care to improve working and learning conditions in BC schools. We need measurable, outcomes-based investment in public education and the recruitment and retention of teachers. As we noted in our letter, a thriving public education system is the cornerstone of any democracy, and of any society’s commitment to equity.
In solidarity,
Clint Johnston,
BCTF President