The head of the BC Teachers' Federation is praising a ruling by the BC Labour Relations Board. Teri Mooring says yesterday's ruling will help enforce health and safety guidelines in public schools. The BCTF petitioned the Labour Relations Board last September, over what it calls "inconsistent and inadequate health and safety precautions in schools." The LRB has responded, saying it will provide neutral third-party “troubleshooters” to quickly deal with issues or complaints arising from COVID-19 protocols in schools. Mooring says the ruling means health and safety guidelines and protocols are enforceable, and now there's a way to enforce them.
Mooring says she's heartened by the Premier's remarks earlier this week, that a trouble-shooting tool is welcome news to the provincial government as well. However, Mooring says the ruling does not address the Teachers' Federation's requests for further health and safety measures, like expanding where masks must be worn and banning student cohorts from mixing.