BURST
B.C. teachers have ratified a new four-year deal that would see a 12 per cent wage increase over four years.
About 91 per cent of members voted to ratify the new four-year collective agreement, said the B.C. Teachers’ Federation on Thursday. Voter turnout for the ratification vote was 67 per cent.
The agreement — which covers 52,000 teachers and other educators — includes a wage increase of three per cent per year for four years and a wage bump at the lower end of the pay grid to attract new teachers.
It also adds more counsellors, learning assistance teachers and special education resource teachers and allows for prep time for elementary teachers.
“This agreement is proof of what’s possible when teachers fight for their students,” said BCTF president Carole Gordon in a statement.
“This is a modest step forward, and our students deserve so much more. Our classrooms are increasingly complex, and investment needs to keep up. We will continue to advocate for better classroom conditions and more time, resources, and support so that teachers can help every student achieve their full potential.”
The agreement also provides for special allowances for psychologists and Indigenous language teachers and increases for teachers in some rural and remote schools.
The most recent contract expired last June. Talks for a new collective agreement began earlier, in March 2025.
The contract has not been ratified by members of the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association. The province’s 60 boards of education are expected to vote on the agreement on Friday.
If fully ratified, the contract is retroactive to July 1, 2025 and goes until June 30, 2029.