Terry Kruger
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 21/00) - Teachers throughout the North are preparing to up the ante in their fight for a new contract with the GNWT.

Talks between the NWT Teachers' Association and the government broke off Jan. 14 as the two sides failed to reach agreement on how to reduce class size and improve services for special-needs students.

There are no plans for a resumption of talks, and now NWTTA president Pat Thomas said the union is preparing to step up their job action.

"We're considering the option of full withdrawal," said Thomas, who planned to discuss the issue with her colleagues in a telephone conference Jan. 17. She declined to say when a full-scale strike could begin. Teachers began action with a work-to-rule campaign and have been engaged in a series of rotating strikes since Jan. 10.

While the next step is a full strike, Thomas remains hopeful that election of a new premier could break the impasse.

She cheered the election of Stephen Kakfwi as premier as a "positive signal." The new premier has indicated a desire to get the dispute settled.

Thomas had no comment when asked if she planned to contact the new premier directly for face-to-face talks.

The main issue at this point is how to begin the process of reducing class size and improving special-needs services.

While the government has said it would resolve the problems through implementation of its five-year strategic plan and through consultation with teachers, Thomas is concerned that there are no guarantees any action would take place as no funding to make the improvements has been committed.

She added it would be at least a year before the plan would have any impact in the classroom.

And while the NWTTA moves closer to a full-scale strike, other unions are showing their support.

Leading the way financially was Local 10 of the Union of Northern Workers.

The local, which represents transportation workers, voted to donate $2,000 to the NWTTA strike fund.

"Two-thousand dollars, to us when we pay $50 strike pay per day, is very much appreciated," said Thomas.

UNW Local 10 president Gary Walsh challenged other UNW locals and the Public Service Alliance of Canada to show their solidarity and also donate to the teachers' cause.

Thomas said support from teachers from other areas, including Yellowknife and throughout Canada, is starting to come in.