B.C. teachers threatened with partial lockout

The B.C. Public School Employers' Association is threatening a partial lockout if teachers move forward with rotating strikes on Monday.

In a three-page letter sent Wednesday to the B.C. Teachers' Federation, BCPSEA'sMichael Marchbank wrote the move is in response to escalating job action and what the employers arecallinga "refusal to compromise."

EffectiveMonday, teachers will be docked five per cent of their pay for participating in job action.If teachers launch the rotating strikes as planned next week, the BCPSEA says teachers'salaries will be docked 10 per cent.

The letter says the pay reductions are intended to reflect the "work not performed" by the teachers during their job actions.

In addition, it says teachers must not work during lunch, recess, and not to be at schools more than 45 minutes before or after their scheduled teaching times.

• Read the full letter from the BCPSEA

On Wednesday, teachers announced plans for rotating strikes that would see classes cancelled at every school in the province for one day next week.

The BCPSEA says it still plans on offering teachers a signing bonus if a deal is reached before the end of the school year. However, if a deal is not reached, teachers will be locked out at high schools onJune 25 and June 26.

The employers' association, which bargains on behalf of the government, says onJune 27a general lockout will occur, shutting down all schools across the province.

Parents and students shouldn't feel much of an impact since classes will be dismissed for the summer by then, but it is unclear if the lockout dates will have an impact on graduation ceremonies.

Teachers' federation president Jim Iker is expected to respond publicly to the letter Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. PT.

Negotiations between both sides are also scheduled for ThursdayandFriday.

Updated strike schedule

Monday, May 26

• #5 - Southeast Kootenay
• #6 - Rocky Mountain
• #28 - Quesnel
• #39 - Vancouver
• #40 - New Westminster
• #48 - Sea to Sky
• #49 - Central Coast
• #59 - Peace River South
• #62 - Sooke
• #67 - Okanagan Skaha
• #72 - Campbell River
• #74 - Gold Trail
• #75 - Mission
• #78 - Fraser-Cascade
• #82 - Coast Mountains
• #85 - Vancouver Island North
• #87 Stikine

Tuesday, May 27

• #10 - Arrow Lakes
• #19 - Revelstoke
• #20 - Kootenay-Columbia
• #23 - Central Okanagan
• #27 - Cariboo-Chilcotin
• #35 - Langley
• #38 - Richmond
• #42 - Maple Ridge
• #52 - Prince Rupert
• #54 - Bulkley Valley
• #63 - Saanich
• #68 - Nanaimo
• #70 - Alberni
• #81 - Fort Nelson
• #83 - North Okanagan-Shuswap

Wednesday, May 28

• #8 - Kootenay Lake
• #34 - Abbotsford
• #37 - Delta
• #43 - Coquitlam
• #47 - Powell River
• #50 - Haida Gwaii
• #51 - Boundary
• #53 - Okanagan Similkameen
• #60 - Peace River North
• #61 - Greater Victoria
• #69 - Qualicum
• #73 - Kamloops Thompson
• #84 - Vancouver Island West
• #91 - Nechako Lakes
• #92 - Nisgaa

Thursday May, 29

• #22 - Vernon
• #33 - Chilliwack
• #36 - Surrey
• #41 - Burnaby
• #44 - North Vancouver
• #45 - West Vancouver
• #46 - Sunshine Coast
• #57 - Prince George
• #58 - Nicola Similkameen
• #64 - Gulf Islands
• #71 - Comox
• #79 - Cowichan Valley

School District#93 (Conseil Scolaire Francophone)schools will be closed with others in their local communities throughout the week.