Dr. Charles Jago, the mediator education minister George Abbott appointed to handle the teachers labour dispute, acknowledged he faces a tough task during a lengthy media conference call Wednesday morning.
When I was first approached I described it as mission impossible, so I think there are enormous barriers and the parties have not been able to agree in the past, said Jago, a former president of the University of Northern British Columbia. And theres a sorry record of negotiations going back almost 20 years. So am I hopeful? I cant say that I am, but will I give it an honest try? I will certainly say that I will do that.
Pressed about his attitude going into mediation, Jago said the mediations success depends on the attitude of the two negotiating partiesthe B.C. Teachers Federation and the B.C. Public School Employers Association.
If you look at the historical record it would be naïve to say Im coming in with the view I can solve all of these outstanding problems because they are endemic. Theyre longstanding and there have been a number of reports by mediators about the dysfunction of the negotiating system with respect to the teachers in the province, he said.
Jago authored the 2006 report Working Together to Improve Performance: Preparing B.C.s Public Education System for the Future and has held academic appointments in Canadian universities for more than 40 years. Hes served on boards of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, as well as the Association of Commonwealth Universities. At UNBC, he initiated the development of the Northern Medical Program.
Hes being paid $2,000 per day he works as mediator. He isnt a member of a political party, but acknowledged during the conference call that he paid (less than $1,000) to take part in a couple of B.C. Liberal golf tournament fundraisers. But he maintains hes independent.
Abbott said he considered two candidates the BCTF suggested would be appropriate mediators, but they couldnt be released from their positions to do the work.
Abbott maintains Jago has the skills needed to make progress in what has to date been an intractable dispute among the parties where there has been little progress.
Anyone who knows Dr. Jago knows he is of an independent mind, Abbott said. He is a brilliant man who has enormous experience and he will think his way through all of the aspects of this mandate that is in his possession, in his scope of mediation.
The mediation period runs to June 30. If theres no agreement by that date, Jago will issue a report with non-binding recommendations.
BCTF president Susan Lambert said the federation will participate in mediation, but questioned Jagos experience and the process.
What we have here is a person who is largely unknown. He has worked I guesshe has accomplished a lot in his life. Im sure hes done that, but I just dont see that he has the experience that he would need in this situation. I wish him well. His recommendations, of course, are non-binding so government has a way out at the end if they want, she said.
Lambert wasnt aware of the golf tournament donations and said she was really at a loss to explain what kind of process were in. Were not in a mediation. Thats for sure, she said.
Weve got a very restricted mandate that only looks, it seems to me, at strips to the collective agreement. We are asked to approach this constructively. The minister is saying that he has opened a path for us to some kind of constructive solution and yet its like a Hansel and Gretel story. Were being led down a path to a very fine candy-coated house but inside theres a major risk for us and that major risk it seems to me is a net-zero mandate and further concessions to our collective agreement.
Twitter: @Naoibh
