The bargaining agent for B.C.'s school boards says it's continuing its fight to get the teachers' union to pay back money teachers have earned for work it says they haven't done during a four-month job action.
The British Columbia Public School Employers' Association asked the Labour Relations Board on Tuesday to reconsider its decision to throw out the association's demand to force teachers, through their union, to pay back 15 per cent of their salaries and benefits.
Glen Hansman, second vice-president of the BCTF, said the request is unprecedented and could have a massive financial impact on teachers if successful.
"If it's the straight 15 per cent number, it could be tens of millions of dollars, perhaps more than that," he said, noting the union is taking the application very seriously and will respond.
Union president Susan Lambert called the application astounding, saying teachers are doing 100 per cent of the classroom work they're required to do under essential services legislation.
"What kind of a world is it where teachers should be working 115 per cent in order to get 100 per cent salary?" she said.
"Teachers are working 100 per cent in classrooms. They're teaching children mindfully. They are very, very dedicated to the work they do. They are working extremely hard."
The application is the latest development in the ongoing labour dispute that began in September after the teachers' five-year contract expired in June.
Negotiations have focused on such issues as salaries, benefits, and paid leave, with the employers holding firm on a government mandate negotiate a contract with no increased costs.
As part of their job action, teachers have vowed not to complete report cards or provide supervision on playgrounds, among other administrative duties.
Melanie Joy, the association's chairwoman, said the employers filed the labour-relations application because it believes the board did not properly interpret its own role during an essential-services dispute.
In its Nov. 29 decision, the board ruled it had no role in maintaining a collective bargaining dynamic between the parties, said Ms. Joy.
She said the board also failed to take into account the comments of an adjudicator who noted that teachers are receiving full pay without a full range of duties.
"The Labour Relations Board, we really need to ask them … [to provide]us with tools so that we're able to provide that pressure on to the union," she said.
"Without that pressure on them, there's just no reason for them to come to the table. This strike will go on for numerous days."
Ms. Joy said she hopes the board can make a decision within the next few weeks.
A date for the application to be heard in front of a three-person panel has not yet been set.
The Canadian Press