After little progress in months of bargaining with the province, B.C. teachers have served 72-hour's strike notice.
Effective Wednesday April 23, teachers will begin Stage 1 job action, which will be "administrative in nature only and will have no impact on students' learning," B.C. Teachers' Federation president Jim Iker announced on Thursday.
During the strike, school administrators will have to provide supervision in schoolyards, teachers will not attend any staff meetings and have no written or electronic communication with management. They will also never show up more than one hour before class starts and never stay for more than one hour after. Volunteer extracurricular activities and report cards won't be affected, Iker added.
Iker would not speculate how long Stage 1 job action would last or what would lead to escalating to Stage 2 - rotating daily strikes around the province.
Teachers voted 86 per cent in favour of strike action in March after a court ruling in their favour stating it was unconstitutional for government to strip them of the right to bargain for class size and composition.
"Let me be clear. Our patience is running out. By initiating job action, B.C. teachers have sent a clear message to our government: Negotiate in good faith. Take back unreasonable proposals and offer a fair deal that also supports our students," Iker said.
