Quote:
Originally Posted by GullFoss
The option for a mediated binding solution makes the most sense if the two sides are really that far apart. The teachers have done what they can to ring the alarm with regards to the issues of class sizes and classroom conditions.
If people want more funding for education, they should vote in a government who has a mandate to do that. Clearly this government believes their mandate also includes fiscal responsibility and tax cuts. As such, they won't pay teachers much more than the average of teacher pay across benchmark provincds. And they have a limit for what they want to spend on public education, which results in larger class sizes than teachers or experts want. Whether you agree with the province or not, they believe that was the mandate they were elected on and they want to deliver on that.
To the extent the province is being unreasonable within their mandate, mediation should solve that issue. Mediation will ensure teachers are paid fairly relative to the other benchmark jurisdiction and that working conditions meet minimum standards. Beyond that, it's a question for Albertans at the next election. If Albertans want to fund education better they should be vote for a party that runs on that platform. Likewise if teachers don't like the pay/conditions, they should leave to work elsewhere.
But the strike should end.
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People didn't vote for this. In fact, the UCP have a list longer than you can track of things that were not voted for that they are doing to Albertans anyway.
Under education they promised to increase spending on K-12. They did not promise to be the cheapest and least funded province in the country. They are basically hiding their cost cutting in education by trying to ignore the population growth that they helped to stimulate.
Teachers should get a fair deal and it should not require mediation to get there. The government should prioritize the education of Albertans, which means prioritizing the teachers that provide that education. If the UCP cannot get there because their goal is actually to undermine and destroy public education then the teachers should fight them every step of the way and the strike should continue. If the UCP try to take away their right to strike then everyone should stand with the teachers and tell them 'no'.
This is not an issue for the next election, that is a lazy argument for crappy politicians to get away with whatever they want. People with integrity should not stand for that kind of undemocratic sentiment. Democracy is an every-day right, not just a voting-day right, and when politicians lie / cheat / steal from us they should resign or face consequences. This new brand of flagrant disrespect from the politicians and then telling you to shut up until the next election is unacceptable and no one should be on board with it.
If you do not like the strike then call the UCP and tell them off because this entire situation is of their creation.