Teachers employed by Parkland School Division will cast their ballots in a government-supervised strike vote on Thursday, October 19. Teachers approved the strike vote at a general meeting on October 9. If teachers vote in favour of strike action, their teaching positions will be protected should the trustees move to lock them out of Parkland schools.

Robert Twerdoclib, president of Parkland Teachers’ Local No 10 of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said that, under Alberta labour law, school trustees can move to lock out teachers and teachers can resort to strike action. In either case, the terms of the existing collective agreement cease. “If teachers did not have authorization to take strike action and trustees locked them out of schools, teachers could be recalled under any terms set by the employer or fired out-of-hand,” Twerdoclib said.

The Parkland local president expressed dismay with the approach to bargaining being taken by the school trustees. “We really don’t know where the trustees intend to take this situation,” Twerdoclib said. “They were adamant that a new collective agreement be in place by the end of August. They pressed for a mediator to become involved but then refused to accept the fair and reasonable recommendations that the mediator put forth.”

A meeting between bargainers for the trustees and teachers is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18.

Teachers employed by Parkland School Division No. 70 provide educational services to more than 9,500 students in 22 schools located between Entwistle and Spruce Grove.

For more information, please contact Robert Twerdoclib at (780) 963-5898.