Minister of Education Peter Fassbender has released the following statement on the framework agreement reached with education support staff:

“I want to congratulate the support staff unions, led by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), school districts and the British Columbia Public School Employers' Association (BCPSEA) on reaching a negotiated agreement.

“This is wonderful news for 34,000 support workers and their families. From educational assistants who help children with special needs, to bus drivers, custodial staff and office administrators, our students would not flourish and our schools could not function without them.

“Support staff bargaining started this past Tuesday and some tough bargaining took place during a very difficult time in the education system. Over five days, the BCPSEA and the support staff unions were able to sit down and to professionally negotiate a five-year deal under the Economic Stability Mandate that provides for wage increases in line with recent B.C. public-sector agreements covering nearly 116,000 employees. 

“It is an agreement that recognizes the important supports that educational assistants provide to students and classrooms with complex needs. It also acknowledges that support workers, who have been willing and able to negotiate agreements without disrupting students, should not have to lose wages because of the current British Columbia Teachers’ Federation strike. 

“This is a clear reminder that the bargaining system is not broken. Over the past 13 years, we’ve successfully negotiated over 850 public-sector agreements. But success rests on the parties coming to the table with realistic expectations, flexible solutions and willingness to engage in meaningful bargaining.”

Learn More:

For the BCPSEA news release on the framework agreement, please visit:
http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/documents/SupportStaffIssuesBulletinDocs/00-DS-June%209-Details%20of%20BCPSEA%20agreement%20with%20support%20staff%20unions.pdf

To view the education support staff framework agreement, please visit:
http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/documents/SupportStaffIssuesBulletinDocs/S4-%20Final%20Package%20-%20June%207%201530pm.pdf

For more information on teacher bargaining, visit:
http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2014/02/teacher-bargaining-information.html or http://www.bcpsea.bc.ca/

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963