Education Minister George Abbott said last week he won’t appoint a mediator in the long-running B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) dispute until after he returns from an education trade mission to China on March 26.
Abbott added his Asian trip was planned long before his ministry developed Bill 22, the legislation designed to force an end to months of teacher work-to-rule action that culminated in a recent three-day strike.
Following the passage of Bill 22 on March 15, Abbott said he would send letters to the BCTF and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) before he left for China on March 17, inviting them to participate in mediation.
Bill 22 requires the BCTF and BCPSEA to bargain “in good faith” with the yet-to-be-named mediator in an effort to reach agreement without adding new costs to the overall B.C. education budget.
