The BC Teachers’ Federation informed members on Thursday evening that it has submitted an application to the Labour Relations Board in an attempt to force changes to what it calls the “haphazard implementation of health and safety measures” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to members obtained by Global News, union president Teri Mooring said the Ministry of Education is taking advantage of teachers’ professionalism and the care they feel for their students.
The federation’s lawyers have researched any legal means they might have to challenge the “inequities of working conditions” and the “confusing changes in government messages” surrounding the province’s back-to-school plan, Mooring said, and have filed the application under section 88 of the Labour Relations Code.
“It is a rarely used provision that we believe can compel the government into a labour relations process to address our many outstanding concerns,” she wrote.
“Critically, our application seeks to enhance the enforcement measures to ensure school districts take all possible actions to keep teachers and students safe.”
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Global News has also obtained a copy of the application, which describes teachers feeling pressured to work in unsafe conditions.
“Teachers want to provide the very best education possible under these pandemic conditions, but the health and safety concerns are only growing with each day that BCTF members spend at their worksites,” the application reads.
Global News has requested further comment from the teachers’ union.
More to come