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México, D.F. October 13, 2005 H. E. Gaytan Lavertù We were appalled at the news that in the present day Canada there are threats of legislation and rulings by a judge that would openly contradict historical international standards set by the International Labor Organization of the United Nations. Teachers in the province of British Columbia are seeking a rise in their salaries to compensate for the inflation of several years and are also trying to secure improvements on learning conditions for their students. Due to the lack of a solution, they have been demostrating and have set a date to strike. The official response, however, has been extremely harsh. The leadership of the British Columbia Teachers Federation is being threatened with a jail term should the union?s plans to strike materialize. Teachers are also told that a new contract will be imposed through a Bill and that it will be in effect for the next three years. All this, nothwithstandig the fact that the International Labor Organization have in the past expressely ruled that imposing contracts to teachers in British Columbia through legislated settlement is something that does not comply with Canada?s international obligations. Mexico is a country that can hardly be proud of its record when it comes to show respect for its teachers, including preserving the right to an independent and democratic union, decent salaries and effective collective bargaining. Precisely because of that, we know very well how education is the first to suffer and to erode when teachers and their legitimate rights are sistematically denied a proper consideration. Canada is a country that has the image of a sanctuary of human rights, the home of many Latino Americans who had to flee from repression. It is also remembered as a country that firmly refused to participate in the invasion of Irak and a country which prosperity is based on a deep respect for its workers and their organizations. For all this, Canada is seen with great sympathy in many places and schools in Mexico and for the same reasons it is incomprehensible what is taking place right now in British Columbia. We worry it may even have a role in setting new labor standards for teachers and academics in the region. We respectfully ask you to convey our concerns to your Government. We think necessary and extremely urgent that it takes a firm position in the preservation of key international agreements it has signed in the name of Canada and its provinces. We believe it is also urgent that it uses all legal and political means at its disposal to create the conditions for a prompt solution in the province of British Columbia. The women and men who have taken teaching as a profession and as a life-long committment certainly deserve no less. The Trinational Coalition for the Defence of Public Education-Mexico hopes that the Federal Government of Canada will show the indispensable sensitivy regarding this matter. Respectfully, |
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