Teachers on the Coast started their first phase of job action this week, refusing to submit attendance records or supervise students during lunch and recess.This action is planned to be stepped up to rolling walkouts on Oct. 11 and a complete withdrawal of services on Oct. 24 should the government fail to reach an agreed-upon contract for B.C.'s teachers before the Oct. 24 deadline imposed by the B.C. Teachers' Federation (BCTF)."Our members are pretty darn adamant about improving working conditions, including placing a cap on class sizes," said Bill Forst, president of the Sunshine Coast Teachers' Association. "There are dozens of high school classes with more than 32 students. And at least 10 classes in our high schools have 34 students or more. A class that size is impossible to manage."Teachers in B.C. have been without a contract since June 2004, due largely to conflicts over things such as class size and wage increases between the BCTF and the employer.The B.C. Public School Employer's Association has said it will not consider a wage increase for any public sector workers until 2006. Class sizes were removed from the bargaining table by the provincial government in the last contract.Education Minister Shirley Bond said the government is not planning to put wage increases and class sizes back into contract negotiations.That's something Forst hopes will change."These are things we need and we want to have written into our contract," he said. "We have been without a contract since June 2004, and the message there is we've been trying. We did strike in January 2004 but we've been trying to negotiate for 14 months now and eventually you get to the point where you have to increase the pressure."That increased pressure didn't have much effect on Sunshine Coast students this week as CUPE members and School District No. 46 staff went into schools to help with supervisory duties during lunch and recess.Principals also took on added supervisory roles at local elementary and high schools this week. Superintendent of schools Stewart Hercus said he is unsure how the next phase of job action will impact students."Right now we're not sure what we're going to be dealing with on Oct. 11," said Hercus. "We know there will be rotating strikes but we don't know if those will be rotating strikes within our district or province-wide rotating strikes."However, he noted that any school where teachers walk out will be closed to students, so parents should have a back up plan for children."If it happens at a school like Elphinstone, we will have to close the school to students because it's not safe. But we'd have to leave the school open for staff, or else it constitutes a lock-out," Hercus said.The BCTF isn't tipping its cards as to what walk-out action would take place and where starting Oct. 11, but they plan to stage a complete withdrawal of services on Oct. 24, meaning all schools on the Coast would have to be closed."I empathize with parents who are struggling to find daycare, and I hope it won't get to that point. The government says they're not going to let this go on, but who knows? We'll see," Hercus added.
