B.C. Unions Offer $8 Million in Loans to Striking Teachers

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

Amid the stalemate situation between the negations of the B.C. government and striking teachers, pressure seems to be mounting on the government to accept a binding arbitration in order to resolve the situation as a group of unions offered millions of dollars in loans to the educators and the premier was publicly heckled.

The announcement was made by nine unions, which mentioned on Wednesday that $8 million in interest-free loans is being made available for financially struggling B.C. Teachers’ Federation members. B.C. Federation of Labour president, Jim Sinclair, mentioned that “it’s not going to be money that’s going to end this dispute. No one will be starved out here,” adding that “it’s going to be (Premier) Christy Clark who must end this dispute by going to arbitration and solving the problems.” In addition to that, the B.C. Nurses’ Union also donated another $500,000 to the teachers’ union to ensure the government does not “bleed them dry,” according to their president Gayle Duteil.

On the other hand, the provincial government has twice rejected that proposal of a binding arbitration as a way to end the strike, alleging that negotiated settlement is the best way to go. Premier Clark mentioned in her remarks that “I really do believe we can still get an agreement.” Furthermore, the premier acknowledged that “I know that emotions are running very high but I also know that sometimes when emotions are running high, it’s sometimes when, strangely, these opportunities present themselves.”