It’s a simple idea that seems to me like it should work ---so why is it not in place??

John Ferry of the Vancouver Province asks, “Who is our school system really serving?”

It’s a good question, and many British Columbians, with children in the school system, continually ask the same question.

Why do teachers and the BC Teachers College have so much say over the education system, rather than the Ministry and Administrators??

How is it that teachers have so much say over class size, composition, etc??  That doesn’t happen in any other workplace that I am aware of.

Now before anyone goes on a rant saying that I hate teachers, I have had, and still have, children in the education system … and they’ve had some really great teachers ... and a close family member is also a teacher.

Still I have to ask the question, why is it that something like education is not considered an essential service – with no strikes allowed.  NOR, for that matter, the opportunity for the employer to lock-out staff?   

If the government operates it, then should it not be considered an essential service??  Otherwise why is the government, or someone they have contracted a service to, operating it?

Taxpayers should NOT have worry, or be concerned, that the services they expect to have available to them, will all of a sudden be removed OR reduced.  This includes teachers … nurses and other health care providers … BC Ferry employees … front line staff at government offices … highway workers … etc.

BUT in the same fashion … those employees should not expect to be dealt with a heavy hand either, and that’s also why we need a better way to deal with labour disputes within the government and government ministries.

This on-going teacher’s dispute, to me, is just one more example that this broken system has been allowed to go on for far too long.  And, I believe there is one fairly easy fix, to a system that does not work very well.

Government employees should have every right to bargain however; if they and the administrators, trustees, management negotiating with them cannot come to an agreement – then it should go to binding arbitration.

And so that there is not perceived, or real, bias in the system … let there be a team of three people that comes up with these agreements – when and if required.  One can be selected by the employer, one by the employees, and one that is mutually agreed on.

It’s a simple idea that seems to me like it should work ---so why is it not in place??

John Ferry asked the question ... “Who is our school system really serving?”

That question however can be asked of every government ministry.  The answer is, or at least should be, the people of British Columbia.

We have every right to expect we will be served --- and that service will not be disrupted by strikes or partial removal of services.

What do you think?

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops; with the thoughts of one conservative on this round ball we call planet earth.