B.C. teachers ratify new pay agreement with province

Members of the union representing teachers in B.C. have voted to ratify a new agreement with the province.

On Wednesday night, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) said 94 per cent of votes cast were in favour of the new deal, which includes “significant salary gains.”

At the end of October, the BCTF announced it had reached a deal after almost 50 meetings with the province.

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At that time, the executive director of BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), Leanne Bowes, told CityNews the organization was “very pleased” to announce the deal.

“We have had some interesting times [bargaining] in the K to 12 in past labour relations, and this round has been a marked improvement,” she said. “Both sides have really worked well together collaboratively, and candidly, and we’re very pleased to be bringing forward our tentative agreements to our memberships.”

The agreement is in line with the province’s Shared Recovery Mandate, which provides a minimum 11.24 per cent general wage increase to employees.

In a statement, the B.C. government says the agreement covers nearly 49,000 teachers across the province’s 60 public school districts.

The three-year term of the agreement is retroactive, beginning on July 1, 2022, and runs until June 30, 2025.

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In the first year of the agreement, $427 has been added to each step of the wage grid, plus an additional 3.24 per cent general increase.

Year two includes a 5.5 per cent general wage increase, along with up to an additional 1.25 per cent cost of living adjustment.

The third and final year of the agreement will include a 2 per cent general wage increase, plus up to an additional 1 per cent cost of living adjustment. The top of the pay grid will also see further increases across all years.

The deal also includes access to “registered clinical counsellors and social workers; standard maternity supplemental employment benefits across the province; recognition of teaching experience from schools operated by First Nations in the same way as teaching experience is recognized from public schools; established a minimum level of professional-development funding across the province; and increased preparation time for elementary school teachers.”

While welcoming the new deal, the teachers’ union still has concerns over working conditions for its members.

“This new deal will help BC be more competitive in terms of salary, but we need the government and school districts to do more, as the employer, to ensure our schools are properly staffed and students get the support they need,” the BCTF said in a statement.