“We were very disappointed to receive an email from the union … announcing a one-day warning strike for Monday, 30th November.”
WE were very disappointed finally to have to call the strike. Over the past few months, we have tried everything humanly possible to get the collective bargaining agreement – negotiated with the school directorate last year – signed. They have refused to sign and refused any further negotiation with us.
“… the Board and Leadership made the decision not to sign a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with Ver.di … preferring instead to retain the tradition of negotiating Works Agreements with our own staff.”
WHERE to start? The CBA is not “with” Ver.di. They are the union that represents the staff. The collective bargaining agreement is with the school’s own staff, the staff of BIS, who spent most of last year in negotiations with school leadership, apparently authorised by the board, to negotiate with the Tarifkommission (TK), or negotiating committee of the BIS union membership.
In the past, the leadership have sat down with the school’s Betriebsrat to discuss – not negotiate – salary and conditions of service. The Betriebsrat do not have any power to negotiate, as they don’t have any leverage in case of a conflict of opinion. Whether this is something that one can regard as a time-honoured “tradition” is not the issue. Let’s institute a time-honoured tradition of respecting and honouring staff.
“We have stated our reasons for this decision clearly … to the Tariff Commission [sic] , as well as to our community as a whole.”
WHEN? Where? What are these reasons? We are certainly aware of much misinformation and spin that has been disseminated. May the staff members constituting the Tarifkommission also have the right to present their case to the community as a whole? All communication between staff and the BIS community has been suppressed. Any attempt by union members to discuss union activities with other members of staff has been stigmatised as “bullying”.
“… it is crucial that the BIS community stands firm and withstands this pressure to sign a CBA, which, in the opinion of the Board and Leadership, is not in the best interests of BIS’ mid- and long-term future.”
ON the contrary. In the opinion of many staff members and members of the community, a CBA would be a godsend to the mid- and long-term future of the school. A CBA would bring stability to a leadership situation in constant flux and ensure that teacher/staff working conditions could not be manipulated or eroded unilaterally, with no chance of appeal.
This actually happened last week. THE BOARD ANNULLED THE EXISTING WORKS AGREEMENT AND ONLY INFORMED THE BETRIEBSRAT AFTER THE FACT. This does not sound like a tradition worth sticking with.
“The students have nothing to do with this demonstration.”
THIS is most emphatically the case and has always been observed and respected by every single member of BIS union.
“We thank you for your continued and vital support, to allow us to bring this sorry chapter to an end…”
WE would also value your support, which would be vital to us. Nobody wants to bring this “sorry chapter” to an end more than we do. We are educators. We passionately care about teaching and your children’s future. Please help us to continue being able to do so.
WE were very disappointed finally to have to call the strike. Over the past few months, we have tried everything humanly possible to get the collective bargaining agreement – negotiated with the school directorate last year – signed. They have refused to sign and refused any further negotiation with us.
“… the Board and Leadership made the decision not to sign a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with Ver.di … preferring instead to retain the tradition of negotiating Works Agreements with our own staff.”
WHERE to start? The CBA is not “with” Ver.di. They are the union that represents the staff. The collective bargaining agreement is with the school’s own staff, the staff of BIS, who spent most of last year in negotiations with school leadership, apparently authorised by the board, to negotiate with the Tarifkommission (TK), or negotiating committee of the BIS union membership.
In the past, the leadership have sat down with the school’s Betriebsrat to discuss – not negotiate – salary and conditions of service. The Betriebsrat do not have any power to negotiate, as they don’t have any leverage in case of a conflict of opinion. Whether this is something that one can regard as a time-honoured “tradition” is not the issue. Let’s institute a time-honoured tradition of respecting and honouring staff.
“We have stated our reasons for this decision clearly … to the Tariff Commission [sic] , as well as to our community as a whole.”
WHEN? Where? What are these reasons? We are certainly aware of much misinformation and spin that has been disseminated. May the staff members constituting the Tarifkommission also have the right to present their case to the community as a whole? All communication between staff and the BIS community has been suppressed. Any attempt by union members to discuss union activities with other members of staff has been stigmatised as “bullying”.
“… it is crucial that the BIS community stands firm and withstands this pressure to sign a CBA, which, in the opinion of the Board and Leadership, is not in the best interests of BIS’ mid- and long-term future.”
ON the contrary. In the opinion of many staff members and members of the community, a CBA would be a godsend to the mid- and long-term future of the school. A CBA would bring stability to a leadership situation in constant flux and ensure that teacher/staff working conditions could not be manipulated or eroded unilaterally, with no chance of appeal.
This actually happened last week. THE BOARD ANNULLED THE EXISTING WORKS AGREEMENT AND ONLY INFORMED THE BETRIEBSRAT AFTER THE FACT. This does not sound like a tradition worth sticking with.
“The students have nothing to do with this demonstration.”
THIS is most emphatically the case and has always been observed and respected by every single member of BIS union.
“We thank you for your continued and vital support, to allow us to bring this sorry chapter to an end…”
WE would also value your support, which would be vital to us. Nobody wants to bring this “sorry chapter” to an end more than we do. We are educators. We passionately care about teaching and your children’s future. Please help us to continue being able to do so.