While the province waits for schools to re-open, striking teachers are also waiting for pay cheques to roll back in to their bank accounts.
After their strike pay and hardship funds dried up, teachers across the province and here in Prince George have been receiving donations and financial help from organizations ranging from BC Hydro, to the United Steelworkers, to Integris Credit Union, to Shiraz Cafe and Tabor Pharmacy.
That all comes in addition to donations from various teachers’ unions, and the BC Nurses Union.
However, President Tina Cousins with the Prince George and District Teachers’ Association doesn’t think this show of support will force any movement from the province at the bargaining table.
“In order to bargain, you need to have two parties willing to bargain,” Cousins says. “The BCTF has made moves several times, at least three times, and we need to see new funding coming to the table, that’s what I think much of the problem is, right now.”
Cousins is calling on parents to speak out to the province, saying a deal will get done much faster once tax-payers show their mass displeasure.
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