BC teachers ratify new collective agreement with provincial government

This week, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) announced that its members have ratified a new four-year collective agreement with the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA).

BCTF members voted 91% in favour of ratifying this agreement which covers 52,000 teachers and other educators like school psychologists who work across the province in the K–12 public education system.

This agreement comes on the heels of nearly one-year’s worth of negotiations. The teachers’ union fought for improved classroom conditions, strengthened mental health supports for kids, fair wages and for the recruitment and retention of new teachers.

Teachers covered by the BCTF will receive a wage increase of 3% per year for the next four years. The lower end of the pay grid will also get a pay bump to attract new teachers and additional support staff will be funded through the BCPSEA. 

Furthermore, elementary teachers will be allocated additional prep time and there will be special allowances made available for psychologists and Indigenous language teachers. 

“This agreement is proof of what’s possible when teachers fight for their students,” said Carole Gordon, president of BCTF. 

“We pushed for improvements to learning conditions, and this agreement includes commitments to add counsellors, learning assistance teachers, and special education resource teachers in schools across the province.”

Gordon added that this was just one small step forward for teachers in BC. She noted that as classrooms become more complex, more investment is needed to provide an adequate education to the coming generations. 

The new collective agreement will come into effect retroactively for July 1st, 2025, and will remain in effect through until June 30th, 2029.