Six-year-old Kennedy Nelson-Dunning, from left, seven-year-old Jakoda Sam and six-year-old Megan MacDonald listen to teacher Jaime Fernie in an all-day kindergarten and grade 1 class at Mission Central Elementary School in Mission, B.C., on Thursday December 16, 2010.Darryl Dyck For The Globe and Mail
School starts in less than a week in B.C., and so will job action by teachers.
BC Teachers Federation President Susan Lambert says the union and employers remain "miles apart" on the major issues at the bargaining table and she doesn't think any major progress will be made before next Tuesday.
As a result, she says teachers will begin withdrawing non-teaching services on the first day of school – meaning they'll be in the classroom but they won't be doing any administrative duties, including meeting with parents.
Education Minister George Abbott has warned that the government will take action if the teachers' dispute escalates into a full scale walkout.