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Photo: The Canadian Press
BC Teacher’s Federation (BCTF) President Teri Mooring was interviewed outside the Victoria Convention Center in Victoria on Saturday November 23, 2019. British Columbia’s Labor Relations Board says it will provide neutral third-party “problem-solving tools” to solve the challenges arising from COVID-19 and related protocols in schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Chad Hipolito
The Labor Relations Board of British Columbia says it will provide neutral third-party problem solving tools to help resolve challenges arising from COVID-19 protocols in public schools.
The BC Teachers’ Federation filed an application with the board in September asking for help with concerns about unsafe working conditions in schools when the government launched its reboot plan.
The union told members in an email Wednesday that the job council’s recommendations closely reflect what it was looking for.
“All the while, the K-12 reboot plan lacked a mechanism to address the communication problems or required health and safety measures,” President Teri Mooring said in the email.
“This new rapid process of solving problems by a neutral third party will help local schools and unions achieve change much more quickly and efficiently.”
The Ministry of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The union filed the application a week after school started, citing concerns about “inconsistent and inadequate” health and safety precautions in schools.
Part of the problem, the union said, was that the provincial government was unwilling to spend enough money to ensure COVID-19 security measures were followed and instead relied on individual school districts to enforce the guidelines.
In a response released Tuesday, Labor Board Chair Jacquie de Aguayo said that, after a review, she found that education and health policy issues outside the scope of labor relations work.
“Despite this, and to their immense credit, the parties named in the question before me have pledged to establish a problem-solving framework to address the challenges arising from the impacts of COVID-19 and reduce transmission risks in the K- system. 12, “wrote de Aguayo.
The work committee makes several recommendations, including the fact that the Ministry of Education appoints a coordinator to communicate regularly and directly with school districts about COVID-19 protocols.
Before making new changes, the council recommends that the government share its reasons with a steering committee that includes teachers, parents, support staff, indigenous rights holders, and others.
The third-party troubleshooter shouldn’t replace existing processes for addressing challenges, but the unique context of the pandemic has created new challenges that may not easily fit into existing channels, the board said.
“The role of a problem-solving tool is, by using an informal and collaborative approach, to find the facts and to make non-binding recommendations,” de Aguayo said.
The troubleshooters will be available starting Monday for “fast” troubleshooting, including evenings and weekends, he said.
The federation celebrated the decision in a tweet on Wednesday.
“This is the enforcement tool we needed to push school districts to comply with health and safety guidelines,” the tweet said.
The board said it will track the nature of disputes related to problem solvers and provide reports.
“This ruling is a significant achievement and was made possible by the support, focus and perseverance of our members and our union,” Mooring said in the email to members.
“While it does not address our concerns about the need for a broader mask policy, reduced class density to facilitate physical distancing and other preventative measures, it will serve to support our efforts to enforce health and safety guidelines. that are in place “.
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