Teachers have a ratified three-year contract with two-per-cent wage increases each year.
Liz Baverstock, president of the Richmond Teachers’ Association (RTA), said their members are happy to have some certainty, especially when teaching in very different circumstances than normal.
“It’s definitely a relief… because there are so many other challenges we’re dealing with,” she said.
The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) were negotiating for more than a year on a new contract with the help of mediator David Schaub.
Baverstock pointed out 98 per cent of teachers who voted – which was done electronically – were in favour of the agreement.
“The membership stood behind what BCTF recommended,” she said.
While wage increases will be two per cent in each of the three years, there will also be a one-per-cent increase in 2020 for teachers in the highest salary grid.
There will also be an increase to the starting rate of contract teachers and $12 million for mentorship of new teachers.
