Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 17, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Inside Story Winnipeg free press january 1995 to Lvi teachers to strike a Deal w province reviewing binding arbitration education reporter e education minister Clay ton manness plans to review i the Way teachers salaries have been negotiated since they up the right to strike in manness announced yesterday the creation of a departmental com Mittee to review the current binding arbitration process and consider re placing it with collective bargaining Between teachers and school Divi Sions that could return teachers right to i know we have a problem and that Why were indicating to trustees and teachers that its time to review binding Man Ness Grants vary trustees have complained for years that the binding arbitration ignores the fact that government Grants to boards vary widely across the the first negotiated settlement Between teachers and a is then adopted by arbitrators As the Model for wage settlements across the province regardless of the resources and circumstances of an individual trustees said this gives the advantage to the who enter bar gaining knowing that if they dont get what they they can always go to arbitration and get a salary settlement already agreed to by an other news of the review elicited sur prise from Manitoba teachers society presi Dent Ron Banister said salary Settle ments Between Manitoba teachers Jeff d6booy Winnipeg free press manness announces Public school funding freeze for tax hikes or program cuts and school boards have fallen be Hind rates of if anyone should have a problem with binding it should be but were not complain Banister binding arbitration was chosen by teachers and school divisions in 1956 As the Only Way to resolve con tract during the last series of Neotia boards and trustees that went to arbitration received a three year agreement with average annual Sal Ary increases of two per other boards that wanted to avoid the Cost of arbitration reluctantly agreed to contracts with two per cent salary at the same negotiations with most other school employee groups produced contracts that called for wage freezes for two Carolyn Vic president of the Manitoba association of school said most trustees feel that arbitrators ignore the financial plight of individual adding Treyve also eroded manage ment rights in several not All trustees Are opposed to the current system and a motion for change Only narrowly passed at the last trustee Conven fou year ice age for Public provincial s schools 199293 199394 199495 199596 source Public 6794 760 of Manitoba Many trustees fear disrupting the lives of schoolchildren and their families if a strike closes a across Canada last teachers and trustees locked horns in several strikes that closed schools and sent children Home in British Columbia and manness said the review commit tee will keep several principles in mind teachers and boards should have Access to All collective bargaining remedies that Manitoban trustees Are responsible for set Ting balanced students needs should be addressed in any Situa regional or province wide bar gaining can be conducted if both sides the department of education has the authority to intervene in any la Bor program pain int by Alice Krueger legislature reporter the Manitoba government is ending its controversial program of unpaid Filmon fridays for civil servants As of March 31 but Public servants rejoice too finance minister Eric Stefanson confirmed yesterday there Are no plans to extend Bill the two year workweek reduction when it lapses at the end of the cur rent fiscal he said the government now will attempt to achieve the same end through collective agree he said the government is seeking concessions from the Mani Toba government employees Union that would see a continuation of the 10 Days of unpaid plus a fur ther two per cent reduction in employee benefits for a total saving of about million we think it is a reasonable Posi the finance minister it obviously can be done through collective based on a combination of our experience with it now for almost two years in and based on what were seeing happening right across Cana we feel that is a very reasonable province to Appeal decision on repaying provincial judges the province is Appeal ing a court decision that would Force it to repay provincial court judges for Filmon in a notice of Appeal filed yes the government claims Justice John Scollin of the court of Queens Bench erred when he ruled in favor of the judges argument in november that provincially imposed Days off under Bill 22 infringe upon the judiciary Stefanson said Filmon fridays achieved everything the govern ment had saving million and preserving 500 jobs in each of the two years the Bill was in the legislation covered about Manitoba Public including employees of Crown Cor teachers and Hospital Peter president of the said he was the government is also asking that Scollins interpretation of Filmon fridays for judges be Scollin ruled that for Filmon fridays is Only a temporary suspension of their pay and they Are to be paid the per cent of heir pay docked retroactive to april the government has estimated that could mean Between and for the 20 Days judges have been Laid off Over the last two not surprised by the governments move to try to make up the savings in another he said its been apparent since negotiations began last fall that the province was trying to wring major concessions out of its everywhere in the Public sector weve seen it whether its Manitoba Telephone system or he adding that Progress at the bargaining table has been pretty freight rates May double Sybil Redekop staff reporter proposed changes to Grain transportation Dies will hit Manitoba farm ers hardest with shipping rates expected to says Keystone agriculture freight rates in the province Are expected to hit about a said Alan Kaps presi the increase is mainly because Saskatchewan and Alberta farm ers will no longer split the tonne Cost to ship Grain from Thunder Bay to the Lawrence All Farmers share the Cost of shipping originating mainly on the Eastern through the great its going to be Manitoba that feels it the said of changes to the Grain transportation Enns seeks United a3 the transportation subsidy known As the Crow Benefit will be paid out to instead of the current practice of paying it to agriculture minister Ralph Goodale said but he say exactly How the subsidy will be dispersed among Goodale added he is acutely aware of the potential Hurt to Manitoba Farmers from proposed adding the Impact is under Goodale also said Farmers be surprised if Grain transportation subsidies Are Cut Back in next months Federal Bud get to help reduce the deficit is one horrific problem and we have to get it under control for the Sake of the a Goodale every aspect of government will be smaller and More modest than it is he Ransom said higher freight rates will increase pressure by Farmers wanting to ship directly to the United he said it will Cost Farmers in southwestern Manitoba a tonne to ship Grain to either the Lawrence or versus about to ship Grain to if we recognize that parts of the country like Alberta have a freight advantage shipping to the West then we should recognize part of the country has a freight advantage to other Points like North Dakota and Ransom in an if we still have a Canadian wheat have to come up with measures to Deal with 100 90 80 70 60 50 provincial Public school funds on steady decline proportionate value of total direct operating support for Public schools from the government of Manitoba 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 fiscal year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 source Manitoba teachers society Gordon free press Filmon fridays boards left holding bag Bald Santin education reporter school boards that saved programs by imposing unpaid leaves on their staffs during the past two years will now have to scramble to find the extra Money or end up losing the trustees said education minister Clayton Man Ness announced yesterday that the province was allowing provisions of Bill 22 dubbed Filmon fridays to lapse this the majority of the provinces 56 boards took advantage of the Legisla imposing anywhere from two to eights Days of unpaid leave for their staff in each of the past two school boards across the province were Able to save almost million in teachers salaries in each of the past two years by imposing unpaid the boards will have to find that Tom a trustee from the Rural Pine Creek Board around glad said the province didst pro vide any help to those divisions with its funding for boards that used the it was like running up a debt on your charge Milne now Treyve got to pay that Money Back and they dont have Carolyn Vic president of the Manitoba association of school said she believes most boards will Cut programs rather than impose Large tax in nip education critic Jean Friesen said freezing government support sends the wrong message to the Community that the province Doest value Public school Ducaj the effect of the governments freeze on individual divisions will based on a complicated for Mula that takes into account changes in Pupil enrolment and average teacher Liberal critic Kevin Lamoureux said Many school divisions will see their level of support drop once the complicated funding formula is applied to last years average Cut in Public school support of per cent Actu ally ranged from a nine per cent Cut for some boards to a one per cent in crease for some trustees were told they know until later in the week How their own boards would be ;