Teachers of the Parkland School Division have rejected the offer for settlement put forward by Parkland school trustees through a proposal vote yesterday. The Labour Relations Board will release the official results of the vote later this afternoon. The proposal vote, requested by the trustees, put their offer for settlement directly in the hands of each of Parkland’s 550 teachers.
Robert Twerdoclib, president of the Parkland Teachers’ Local, said the vote result was predictable. “After the events of last week where the school board’s applications before the provincial Labour Relations Board were dismissed and the trustees were described as engaging in bullying tactics against their own teachers, it is little wonder this attempt by the board to do an end-run around face-to-face bargaining has turned out to be such a resounding failure.” Twerdoclib said over 500 teachers had voted approximately 95 per cent in favour of rejecting the trustees’ proposal.
Twerdoclib said he hoped that bargaining could commence in the immediate future toward a collective agreement and said teachers would welcome the presence of a government-appointed mediator. “I believe the trustees have exhausted every possible excuse for refusing to conclude an agreement,” Twerdoclib said. “Now is the time for trustees to exonerate themselves in front of Parkland Division parents and students, put aside the attitudes and practices condemned by the Labour Relations Board, and reach a fair and comparable agreement with the teachers who work for the people of the Parkland district.”
For further information, please contact Robert Twerdoclib at (780) 963-5898.
