B.C. teachers are fighting for a just cause, says James Clancy

The B.C. Liberals have brought the current situation on themselves.

By James Clancy
National President
National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)

Those who live in glass houses ought not to throw stones.

This simple adage contains an important lesson for the B.C. Liberal government in its sad attempt to respond to 42,000 striking public school teachers by resorting to patronizing rhetoric about the rule of law.

Let's take a good look at Premier Gordon Campbell's glass house.

In the last three years, the International Labour Organization (ILO), an internationally-respected agency of the United Nations, has condemned the Campbell Liberals a total of nine times for violating workers' human rights by contravening international labour standards that Canada and all provincial governments have sworn to uphold.

The Liberals have given B.C. the embarrassing record of having more ILO complaints filed against it than any other Canadian province in the agency's 84-year history.

In fact, there has not been another government in North America found guilty more often of violating ILO Conventions over such a period of time.

A government that has abused the power of the legislature, as this one has, to violate international covenants, fundamental human rights and the principles of free collective bargaining  – by ripping up legally negotiated contracts and unilaterally imposing contracts  – should not be surprised when its demands for teachers to respect the law fall on deaf ears.

Fair question

It's fair to ask: what example has the B.C. government set over the past four years by using its legislative power to repeatedly ram through legislation violating fundamental human rights?

The right to join a union and to engage in free collective bargaining, without undue government interference, are fundamental human rights of working people.

These rights have been long established in conventions developed by the ILO. Canada and all provincial governments are signatories to these conventions and, as such, have committed to uphold them.

Yet the passage of Bill 12 is only the latest example of the B.C. government abusing its legislative power and showing complete disdain for the rights of teachers. In fact, teachers have been denied their right to bargain collectively for the last five years.

The B.C. government passed Bill 18 in August 2001, taking away from teachers the right to strike without giving them access to independent arbitration. In October 2001, the government also passed Bill 27, which imposed a three-year agreement on teachers.

Along with these bills, the government has also passed Bill 28, eliminating from the teachers' collective agreement all contractual provisions ensuring quality learning conditions.

Teachers targeted repeatedly

The Campbell government has repeatedly violated the human rights of teachers and ignored their legitimate concerns, which centre on class size and class composition. These are crises which the government created by unilaterally imposing deep cuts to the public education system.

The B.C. Liberals have brought the current situation on themselves.

As everyone knows, workers did not manage to win the right to form unions and bargain collectively because politicians and employers decided to give it to them.

Working people gained these rights the hard way. Generations of employees challenged the privileged and political classes of our country and won them. Their struggles were long and the opposition they faced was bitter.

The lesson is this: democracy does not work and civilization does come about because workers meekly place their future in the hands of people like Gordon Campbell and his B.C. Liberal government.

Everyone counts

We must to stand up and fight for our rights as if the cause depends on each one of us as individual workers. Because, in the end, it does depend on each of us.

That's what B.C. teachers are fighting for in their current actions.

Contrary to what has been said, they are in fact setting an example of courage and commitment for their students by standing up for democracy and what is right.

The question that remains to be answered is this: Will the B.C. Liberal government set an example in turn by showing that it is prepared to accept the consequences of its own abuse of power in breaking the law and violating human rights?

If the answer is yes, then the Campbell Liberals must roll back the legislation they used to smash legal contracts with public sector employees. NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is the second largest union in Canada, representing 340,000 members who deliver public services of every kind. NUPGE also represents a large and growing number of members who work for private businesses.

Web posted by NUPGE: 13 October 2005

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