A group of parents rallied at Suncrest Elementary on Friday to show support for striking teachers.
Janine Aussem, whose son attends the Burnaby elementary school, said the group is backing the teachers.
"The holidays are coming up. We heard BCPSEA (the B.C. Public School Employers' Association) was asking teachers to repay 15 per cent of their wage, and that's just a bit much," Aussem said. "They don't deserve to be treated that way. They are the ones looking after our kids."
Contract negotiations between the B.C. Teachers' Federation and BCPSEA (which negotiates for the provincial government) started in March but have not made much progress. Teachers have been on partial strike since September, refusing to do administrative work, issue report cards or fundraise for schools.
BCPSEA was arguing that since teachers were doing less work, the BCTF should have to pay back 15 per cent of their salaries, a proposition the B.C. Labour Relations Board rejected.
The main issues for teachers are salaries and limits on class size and the number of special needs students.
Roughly 25 to 30 parents attended the Suncrest rally with their kids, and there is talk of holding another one.
"We want to put out a challenge to other parents in other schools that they need to stand up and support teachers, too," Aussem said.
www.twitter.com/JenniferMoreau
