BCTF Bargaining Update
With the BCTF’s current collective agreement set to expire on June 30, 2025, the Federation’s Provincial Bargaining Team has already started working full time at the BCTF building to prepare for the start of negotiations.
The Provincial Bargaining Team is made up of BCTF members from across the province and supported by a diverse group of specialists from the BCTF staff: experts in labour law, contract negotiation and enforcement, educational research, employee benefits, health and safety, communications, professional issues, and more. Together, they’re committed to achieving the best possible collective agreement to meet the needs of BC teachers. You can read more about who is on the team and what they do here.
The team expects to begin negotiations sometime in March, but no dates have been set at this point. Once dates are known, members will be notified in a future update. In the meantime, the team is hard at work developing strategy and preparing proposals on changes to the collective agreement based on the priorities and objectives set by the BCTF Bargaining Conference that occurred May 22–23, 2024.
At this point there are no specific proposals for members to see, but the Federation will keep you updated every step of the way. Read on for some basic FAQs.
When will negotiations start?
The BCTF and BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) teams will be setting dates to open negotiations soon.
What is bargained at the provincial level?
The BCTF bargains collective agreement provisions provincially on salary, workload (class size, composition, ratios, etc.), preparation time, health benefits, leaves, and other items. Issues bargained locally include post and fill, layoff and recall, staff meetings, and more. The list of which topics are bargained locally and which are bargained provincially can be found in the Collective Agreement Letter of Understanding No. 1. Members new to the BCTF bargaining process can watch this short video produced in 2022 to learn more.
What happens if a collective agreement is not reached by June 30, 2025?
The current collective agreement’s term comes to an end on June 30, 2025. However, all of the provisions remain fully in force until a new collective agreement is ratified, even if that occurs after June 30.
How can members stay informed?
Throughout the bargaining process, the BCTF will post regular updates on the Bargaining Updates and Information page on the BCTF website. You can also search “bargaining” on the website to see the latest information. Remember, you need to be logged in to the website to view these updates, which are confidential to BCTF members. The Federation will also host various information sessions along the way to help keep members informed and engaged. Your local will likely have general meetings as well.
When there is a bargaining update with time-sensitive or significant information, members will be alerted by email. Other times, items in the biweekly BCTF News will alert members when new updates have been posted.
When it comes to progress at your local union level, please engage with your local association to hear more about the issues being bargained locally.
Will members be able to see the proposals?
Yes. As the union and the employer table proposals, they will be posted on the Bargaining Updates and Information page.
Once tabled, is a proposal set in stone?
No. All proposals, from the union or the employer, are amendable as part of the negotiating process. Nothing is included in a tentative agreement until both parties sign off on them. It takes both sides to agree to and ratify a collective agreement. Once a tentative agreement is reached between the two bargaining teams—also known as an agreement-in-committee—the BCTF puts that deal to a province-wide membership vote for ratification.
Has the government set a public sector mandate yet?
No. The provincial government has not yet named or outlined a “mandate” for the public sector. The government’s budget will not be announced until March 4, 2025, which is later than normal. Information about previous public sector mandates from the provincial government can be found here.
What should members expect next?
Within the next few weeks, we will provide more subject-based bargaining updates on topics like how proposals are made, what has been achieved in previous rounds of bargaining, how the BCTF’s democratic structures influence and direct bargaining, and how members can engage.