Former B.C. cabinet minister and current University of Victoria political science student, George Abbott, is photographed at the Saanich Municipal Cedar Hill Golf Course in Victoria, B.C. Thursday October 17, 2013.The Globe and Mail
George Abbott oversaw the last successful deal with the B.C. Teachers' Federation, in the summer of 2012, as the province's education minister. Unlike some of his predecessors, he was considered a conciliator and was well regarded by many teachers.
Were you surprised when you woke up to an agreement?
I had a bet going with other people about when and if negotiations would conclude successfully. There were predictions it would end successfully this week. The longer the parties stayed at the table this week, and they stayed there for four full days at the end, my confidence grew in a successful outcome. I was certainly pleased.
It looks like 500,000 students will be back in school next week.
(Connect with our B.C. teachers' strike live blog for the latest updates on the strike.)
What are your thoughts on the tentative agreement?
I'm pleased on the length of the contract. Six-years is a positive feature and I hope it will provide an opportunity for [Education Minister] Peter Fassbender and [union leader] Jim Iker to sit down and hopefully build a better relationship than we've seen in years.
The salary increase certainly seems to be within the government's zone of settlement for the public sector. To be fair to the government, it didn't have a lot of room to work on salaries and benefits. This seems to be a fair deal for both sides.
More than 500,000 students have been out of class for five weeks. Many teachers lost more than $9,000 in wages. There's been public pressure on the government and the BCTF. Who are the winners and who are the losers?
With ratification of this agreement, I hope that all parties will be winners. The loss of school time can be mitigated somewhat, the ministry is working on ways to make up the lost time over the balance of the school year. The losers, whenever there is a protracted labour disagreement, are the students. The parents are in second place in terms of disruptions to their lives.
This has been a difficult time for teachers. We have wonderful teachers in this province, and I know that many of them have felt badly that they haven't been able to teach.
A six-year agreement is a long time. They don't need to start bargaining until around 2019. Hopefully, by then there will be a spirit of collaboration and we don't need to face another round like we've seen over the past few negotiations.
The relationship between the teachers and the province has been nasty. Can this deal alter that?
It's been a tortured relationship for decades, but I think that this can alter that relationship for the better. There remain legal issues that will be tested over the next year at the B.C. Court of Appeal and likely at the Supreme Court of Canada after that.
It would be splendid if a way could be found to negotiate an agreement without a trip to the Supreme Court, but hopefully within a few years with the legal issues resolved they can move onto rebuilding that relationship.
The premier's office has stated a preference to start work on a 10-year deal very soon. What's next for both sides?
Probably a glass of wine or two. Beyond that, I think there are a series of loose ends that will be subject to more negotiation and discussion. I suspect the parties here are pretty tired and need some rest.
Will the BCTF need to rebuild? The coffers were empty at the start of this dispute and they've used loans and donations to operate.
The B.C. Teachers' Federation isn't homogenous from an ideological perspective. There are streams running through the BCTF and this hasn't been an easy dispute in terms of the union remaining united in the face of a good deal of adversity. There will be politics to be played out about how they should orient themselves in the future.
Will the negotiators have trouble adjusting to peace?
It will be challenging. The character of most wars is that ultimately they come to an end. There will be a period of adjustment, but the great thing about a six-year calendar for building a new relationship is that they will now have the luxury to move that relationship.
Where did you place your bet for when this would end?
Between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Monday. I was tragically 24 hours off.
Justin Giovannetti