To the Editor:
(Re: “Trustee doing what’s best for students”)
Some of Mel Joy’s points I feel a need to address. As chair of the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), who are you representing, us in Creston or the 60 other boards around the province? What would you do if the majority of the 60 boards wanted to support a position that would not be in Creston’s best interest, be chair of the employers’ board or be a Creston school trustee? What hat would you wear, and whose interests do you take seriously?
You state, “I pride myself in not being an advocate for special interest groups or unions.” Unfortunately, you left out the employers’ association. Do you not consider them as a special interest group? If we are to believe that the union is a special interest group surely the BCPSEA must also be considered a special interest group, recognizing that the union is looking out for the employees’ interests and employers’ association is looking after the employer/government’s interest.
I have been involved with public sector bargaining for many years, and what I see now I would never refer to as bargaining. The first thing we need to realize is that all these employers’ associations were put in place by governments past and present to act as buffers for the politicians. The associations get to be the heavies and the ministers and deputy ministers claim that bargaining is out of their hands and we need to do what the boards want.
Your statement, “Kids are affected by the labour dispute. The current strike is having a negative impact in our schools and on students,” is what I call rhetoric. What strike? What labour dispute? If it wasn’t for reading the paper and watching the news, I wouldn’t even know there was a dispute. This is also the opinion of the Supt. Jeff Jones, as is indicated in his statement on page five of the Dec. 8 Advance, that as the dispute enters its fourth month, the public seems blissfully unaware.
I have personal interest in the quality of education for children in this district. The volleyball tournaments continue, extra help during lunch and after school is still happening and there can be interviews with the teachers anytime I want. I know where any one of the children stands academically because of having direct contact with the teachers. There was a dance in December at Prince Charles Secondary School. So again I ask, what job action?
Just to add to this, it is 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning and I just received an email from a teacher to deal with an educational issue. Apparently this teacher is not aware of the strike either or maybe is more concerned with the child’s success than the employers’ association.
I feel that our Teachers should be commended for continuing to do what is best for our students. The teachers, to their credit, are not letting their frustrations get the best of them. They are continually showing their commitment and caring through these trying times.
One final word: It is time that the school board and the BCPSEA stop wasting energy and resources trying to make the teachers look bad, and do some real bargaining, They need to stop bargaining through the media and come up with some proposals that will be acceptable to all parties. When Jones says, “It boggles my mind that people in the community don’t know teachers are on strike,” it again proves to me that the teachers are doing what they need, to make sure the students educational needs are met.
Peter Wegener
Creston
