t¢ ‘K he ’ SS = ———— ea Sen Cassiar Courier the Voice of Cassiar Country December 1983 10 cents Brinco Report Brinco Limited announced a net loss of $3,861,000 for the nine months ended September 30th 1983, com- pared with a net loss of $11,604,000 for the similar per- iod in 1982. The loss per share for the nine months was $0.40 compared with a loss of $0.54 before extraordinary items for the first nine months of 1982. Revenue for the nine months was $64,862,000, down from $71,889,000 for the same period in 1982. Expenses were $70,188,000: compared with $82,715,000 for the first nine months of 1982. Working capital generated from operations for the first nine months of 1983 was $12,102,000, up from $8,066,000 in 1982. However, working capital declined by $15,900,000 reflecting a transfer of $16,250,000 of long-term debt to current liabilities, and presently stands at a deficit of $4,002,000. Discussions continue with Brinco Mining Limited’s bankers concerning rescheduling of repayment provisions for the $70,000,000 term loan. The dividends on the Company’s preferred shares Series A and Series C normally payable on March 31st, and June 30th and September 30th, 1983 were omitted. Negotiations concluded The Stikine Teachers Association has ratified the agreement-in-committee reached by the Association’s and the Board’s negotiating committees. The ratified agreement calls for a rollover of the 1983 contract. Teachers and principals will receive the same sal- ary and allowances as they did in 1983 and have been guaranteed their experience increment as per the 1983 agreement. The Board has agreed to submit the Seniority and ‘Severance Pay agreements*to the Compensation Stabliza: ~ tion Commissioner and request exemption for its teachers from the dictates of Bill 3, the Public Sector Restraint Act. This matter has already been discussed with the com- missioner’s office and an indication has been given that the exemption will be forthcoming. The basis of the seniority agreement is founded on the understanding that, if the Board determines that it is necessary to terminate (includes lay-off) the appointment of any teacher/teachers, the teachers to be retained shall be those who have the greatest seniority in the school dis- trict provided they have the necessary qualifications for Continued on Page 2. Col. 1. Teachers fair treatment San SE On November 8, 9 and 10, approximately 71% of Stikine teachers took part in a province wide withdrawal of ser- vices by B.C. teachers. Schools affected included Atlin, Cassiar Secondary, Dease Lake and Snowridge. The major- ity of support staff (ie. —clerical aides, custodians) honour- ed the teacher's walkout and did not report to work. * The B.C. teachers’ withdrawal of service was stage two of an escalating job action, undertaken by all public sector employees and the Solidarity Coalition, protesting the way in which the government was proceeding with its re- straint program. Stikine teachers, after many long and agonizing hours of discussion and soul searching, voted by secret ballot to participate in the job action. These teachers acted out of a sense of duty and responsibility on behalf of all students and citizens of B. C. Their decision was one cf conscience. This action, unprecedented in the history of B.C., attemp- ted to achieve the ee objectives: walk out Ramee 1. school services to be maintain at least at their pre- sent levels over the next three years 2. ahalt to centralization of educational decision- making in Victoria 3. access to O post-secondary education for all qualified “students NR er ee CO eR 4. restoration of social, democratic, and human rights for all British Columbians 5. due process for teachers if layoffs are necessary 6. restoration of collective bargaining rights for all teachers, including principals Along with 90% of B.C. teachers we feel this action was the last available option left to us to demonstrate to all British Columbians that—WE CARE!! This is a statement given to us by Judy Sikora, spokes- person for teachers who withdrew their services. For some individual views, see page 14. Parents voice concerns A public meeting concerning education was held at the Cassiar Secondary School on the evening of November 14. About 35 interested members of the community (mostly parents) attended. The meeting was opened by Mrs. Sethen, chairman of Stikine School District 87, who stressed that the meeting was not a political forum but rather an opportunity for people to express their concerns about education. Since the recent withdrawal of services by the teachers was ob- viously a major concern, Mrs. Sethen briefly outlined the Board’s opinion about the action and events leading up to the withdrawal of services. The Board did not recognize this being a legal action. It was the opinion of the Board that the dispute was be- tween the B.C.T.F. and the government, not the Stikine Teacher’s Association and the Stikine School Board. In view of the very real threat of a strike, the Board sought legal counsel to assess the avenues open to them, ie., obtaining a court injunction, use of volunteers to teach during strike, and the fact that the duties of the principals differs from those of teachers. Mr. Chambers, Assistant Superintendent, then outlined the events lead- ing up to and during the strike. He stated that on November 2, the B.C.T.F. advised the Board that a withdrawal of services would commence on Tuesday, November 8, if no agreement was reached be- tween the Government and the B.C.G.E.U. The Board then made their plans and issued the following inform- ation to all schools in the District: 1. The Board did not recognize the strike as being legal. The Board would apply for a legal injunction re- questing the teachers to return to work. 3. The schools would be kept open until there was a lack of professional staff to operate effectively. 4. Principals were to provide for the security of the school building and the safety of the students for the first day. 5. The teachers had to make their commitment known to the principal. 6. The teachers would lose salary and allowances for the days they were on strike. 7. Teachers would not be allowed to exercise their travel allowances while the strike was in effect. On November 4th, a notice was issued to parents re- garding the Board’s position. On November 7, all principals in the district were con- tacted regarding the Board’s expectations of their per- formance. It was decided that the bus would continue to run. The Board decided that the priority for offering educational services would be to Grades 11 & 12, with supervision offered for Grade 10. On November 8, teachers withdrew their services in Dease Lake, Atlin and Snowridge Elementary. As well, 8 of the 11 teachers at Cassiar Secondary withdrew their services. Approximately 50 elementary students and 70 secondary students crossed the picket line to attend schoo]. C.B.C. was contacted regarding educational ser- vices being offered. Lower Post, Telegraph Creek, Good Hope Lake and Iskut teachers did not withdraw their services. On November 9, Mr. Corcoran, Mr. Chambers and Mrs. Sethen provided’ instruction and supervision in the Cassiar Secondary School and in Snowridge Elementary. Mr. Corcoran also flew to Vancouver that day to obtain a court injunction forcing the teachers back to work. C.B.C. was again contacted and asked to announce what services would be supplied in both schools in Cassiar. On Thursday, November 10, Snowridge Elementary School was opened to allow children to pick up their books. Mr. Chambers and Mrs. Sethen were at the Cas- siar Secondary School offering instruction and super- vision respectively. Thirty students attended. ‘It was decided to call a Board meeting for November 14 if the strike continued. It was also decided to have a public meeting that evening to give the parents a chance to express their concerns. Although the Board members could not all be present, because of the distances in- volved, the problems would be addressed by those mem- bers present. On November 11, Mr. Corcoran returned to Cassiar with a writ of summons, requiring the teachers to return to work. This was served to the S.T.A. on November 12. On November 13, the dispute between the B.C.G.E.U. was settled and the S.T.A. notified the School Board that the teachers would return to work on Monday, November 14. Questions, opinions and concerns raised by the pub- lic were: Since there is a valid contract agreement between the S.T.A. and the Stixine School Board, which doesn’t allow for the witidzawal of labor, then the strike of 6 days was botn illegal and highly unprofessional. What does the Board plan to do about it? Continued on Page 20 As