Much as the provincial Liberals did in reversing course regarding treaty talks, they are doing the same with class sizes in public schools.
In both cases, the courts forced the B.C. government to pragmatically cut their losses.
In the current example, Education Minister George Abbott says the government will collaborate with the B.C. Teachers鈥� Federation instead of waging a prolonged and expensive court battle.
Abbott is wisely trying to avoid a fight over class sizes and classroom support for special-needs students.
The government got a legal opinion advising it not to appeal a B.C. Supreme Court decision ruling that 2002 provincial legislation that removed class size and special-needs support levels from the union contract infringed on teachers' constitutional right to bargain.
The court鈥檚 conclusion was based on a landmark 2007 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada invalidating similar legislation that changed health care support workers' union contracts without the benefit of negotiating with the employer.
Long story short 鈥� the B.C. government overstepped its authority in its zeal to address troublesome aspects of a contract with a union the provincial Liberals saw as a political enemy.
There鈥檚 some truth to that 鈥� the BCTF has long been one of the most active opponents of right-wing governments in ways that extend far beyond defending the rights of its members.
The government鈥檚 heavy-handed approach, though, led it to its current legal predicament as well as sparking thousands of union grievances. Anyone who has worked in a union workplace knows how stressful and unproductive such an environment can be.
Judge Susan Griffin has given the government a year to work out an alternative to the 2002 legislation.
Abbott is a reasonable man and the BCTF will hopefully work with him rather than furthering an adversarial relationship that helps nobody, especially the students.
editor@comoxvalleyrecord.com
