Sports days and Grade 7 graduation ceremonies have been cancelled, students are planning walkouts and there seems to be no end in sight to the rotating strikes and lockouts affecting schools across the province.
On Monday, teachers took to the streets for the second day of strike action in Richmond in as many weeks, as negotiations between the BC Teachers' Federation and the provincial government continue to bear no fruit. However, it's a student walkout planned for today that may turn even more heads.
Today is the only day this week that won't be affected by province-wide rotating strikes, that have seen increasing support from labour unions, including the Canadian Labour Congress.
Some local students in the city are planning to temporarily walk out of classes at 9 a.m. as a protest to the impasse between teachers and the government.
A Facebook event page organized by a Surrey student had over 13,000 supporters as of Tuesday. The student protest is said to not be siding with one party or another.
"Each side claims to be 'fighting for the students' yet each side fails to show how they are doing so," stated the event page.
Palmer secondary Grade 9 student Kane Li is one of about 10 organizers at his school who is hoping to organize a walkout here in Richmond.
"Students are caught in between, which doesn't seem fair because provincial exams and summer schools may be affected," said Kane on Monday.
"A lot of kids in my incentive class want to go to summer school," he added, voicing concern over potential summer job action and lockouts.
On Monday, Palmer's principal Richard Stewart said he wasn't aware of any walkouts at his school.
Kane said he and others would be informing the
administration on Tuesday.
David Sadler, spokesperson for the Richmond School District, said via email that no disciplinary action would be taken against students for the
demonstration.
Meanwhile, the lockout and strikes have resulted in many cancelled events.
Due to uncertainties, an annual luncheon on June 12 for the Immersed in the Arts
- Reach to Teach program has been nixed, according to Margaret Stephens, treasurer of the Community Arts Council of Richmond.
"We rely on the schools, they provide the buses and the students can't come without their teachers. Nobody can guarantee that there won't be a rotating strike that day. It's a big expense to not have it happen, plus the volunteer energy that goes into this," said Stephens, noting the luncheon was for about 60 students.
According to Anne Chen, president of the Richmond District Parents Association (RDPA), track events, sports days and grad ceremonies have had to be cancelled throughout the city, although she hopes parents will be able to "step up" and run the events themselves.
"Parents are starting to understand that the teachers don't have time in their day to plan these events...due to the lockout," said Chen.
Also affected by the strike are before and after school programs such as the YMCA and Tomorrow's Topkids, both of which operate out of schools.
On strike days, the programs must close and, should teachers put up picket lines during a full lockout, it
may mean further closures.
Should picket lines extend into July, summer programs could be affected.
June Kaiser, president of CUPE Local 716, which represents school workers such as custodians and educational assistants, said her union will not cross picket lines.
Byron Stevens, past president of the RDPA, said he believes parents are likely split on whom to side with.
"I think it's a little bit split on whether they support the teachers or government... It's a difficult question," he said.
However, Stevens also said he believed most parents would agree class size and composition is something that needs to be addressed.
"In terms of class size, we need a change on that. And teachers need the support to do the job properly," said Stevens.
On Monday, some parents were reported to have been demonstrating outside of MLA John Yap's office in Steveston.
The provincial government has twice been told by B.C. Supreme Court that it illegally took away the right to negotiate class size and composition from the
teachers' union over a decade ago. It is currently appealing the last decision.
BCTF president Jim Iker said teachers want more educational assistants as well as smaller class sizes, first and foremost. Teachers are also asking for a wage increase of 13.7 per cent over four years, while the government is offering 7.3 per cent over six years.
Presently, the provincial government is threatening full days of lockouts near the end of the month, during the provincial exam period. Teachers are currently only partially locked out by the government.
That means teachers are not allowed on school property during recess and lunch times, as well as 45 minutes before and after class times. As a result, the government has been deducting 10 per cent of their wages. The lockout followed job action last month by the BCTF, which limited teachers' work hours as well as communication with administrators.
The lockout stipulations have resulted in peculiar scenes at schools as teachers exit the building on the behest of administrators.
