Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 10/00) - The government is preparing a contingency plan in the event a full-scale walk-out of NWT teachers occurs.

More than 400 teachers, who are represented by the NWT Teachers' Association (NWTTA), served strike notice Jan. 4.

Today (Monday), teachers began full withdrawal of services. They have initiated a rotating strike that will begin in the Sahtu School Division. Teachers will be off for one day in Colville Lake, Deline, Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells and Tulita.

"Job action is being escalated to encourage the GNWT to return to the table to negotiate a fair and just contract," said NWTTA president Pat Thomas.

On Tuesday, Jan. 11, Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Resolution and Lutsel K'e teachers will not report to work for one day.

Minister of Education Michael Miltenberger said because the NWTTA is in the midst of a collective bargaining process, they are using any means they can to "raise the stakes."

"We're in close contact on a daily basis with the school board chairs in each region and we're taking all the appropriate steps to be ready for the job action that is taking place," said Miltenberger.

He said the government is currently preparing a contingency plan that includes making arrangements for Grade 12 students to write their final exams at alternative locations if the strike is prolonged.

The plan will also ensure that public works employees remain on the job to keep school furnaces working and to watch over the properties -- but Miltenberger said averting any further job action remains their goal.

"Making sure the children stay in the classroom is the government's first priority," said Miltenberger.

The two-year collective agreement that was rejected by teachers called for a six per cent raise -- which Miltenberger said was generous considering the fiscal realities faced by the GNWT.

"With the package that's on the table, teachers would become the highest paid teachers in Canada. They want more and that's what we're dealing with," said Miltenberger.

"A six per cent raise means we've put $4 million more on the table over two years. People shouldn't lose sight of that."

He said after teachers rejected the GNWT offer, the NWTTA bargaining team came back to the table and asked for the equivalent of a 10 per cent raise.

Teachers also demanded special needs and class sizes be addressed in the collective agreement. Miltenberger said those items will not be part of the collective bargaining process because the Ministry of Education released a five-year education strategy on Dec. 12 that addresses both special needs and class size.

The education strategy calls for an increase in special needs expenditures from 8.2 per cent of the total education budget to 15 per cent. It also calls for teacher/student ratios to drop from an average of 20 students per teacher to 16 over five years. In total, they plan to spend $11 million implementing the strategy.

"As a government, we have a broad responsibility to the poor, the sick, and the elderly -- all the people of the NWT that don't have the pay and benefits that teachers do," said Miltenberger.

"Teachers are very important, they're critical to the education system but we can't put all our resources towards meeting the demands of one interest group."

The Minister Responsible for the Public Service, Charles Dent, said this is the first time in the history of the NWT that teachers have initiated a strike.

"The territorial government remains committed to negotiating a responsible collective agreement that fairly compensates teachers while recognizing the fiscal reality of a projected $60 million deficit next year," said Dent.

He said that since the NWTTA left the table, the government's negotiating team has been hammering out a new package "in the dark."

"There seems to be a sentiment among teachers that this government doesn't value them. I think that through our six per cent raise offer and the release of the government's new education strategy, we are clearly demonstrating that we feel teachers are an important part of the public service," said Dent.

As for projections for when the dispute will be resolved, Dent said he is meeting with the GNWT negotiating team to put together a new package for the teachers.