Duncan - Teachers are very well paid with excellent work conditions and benefits that the average taxpayer would love to enjoy. I say this as a retired school teacher of 28 years.
I have witnessed a great deal of union "bullying" in the staff rooms to shut down any teacher who dares to protest the possibility of striking so a few politically active teachers who often never held a job in the "real" world can boost their egos and promote their career aspirations in the BCTF.
Having taught I can honestly say the work was tough but this new climate of entitlement, so carefully crafted by our politicians, is now the prime motivator of the BCTF which is also at the public trough.
Unless this government takes the difficult high road and rejects these threats to our children and the economy of the province, this endless money grab will continue until the system collapses from greed.
I challenge anyone to explain just how our students and "education" will improve one iota if the teachers are paid more money when there is no actual empirical evidence to prove that after the huge pay increases they have experienced in the past 20 years. Indeed the evidence suggests otherwise.
Perhaps the teachers are saying that they will work harder if they are paid more money? An obvious shakedown with the children held hostages.
Every year we learn of the enormous increase in payments to our health care services and educational services on the backs of the average tax payer, many of whom are working poor, and still we have people unable to receive timely and appropriate health care and students graduating with less than basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills, never mind many with a sad lack of work ethics, but bags and bags of bubble-wrapped self-esteem.
Kevin McGinley
Duncan