BUS272 TB

Chapter 9 Conflict and Negotiation 309
he BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), which
T
is the union for public school teachers in
BC, and the BC government have a long
history of animosity. 1 The union has little
admiration for Premier Christy Clarke because in
2002, when she was minister of Education, the BC
government effectively tore up the teachers’ collective
agreement by passing Bills 27, 28, and 29,
which eliminated provisions in the collective agreement
that dealt with class size and composition, cut
support for children with special needs, and took
away the rights of teachers to collectively
bargain for their working conditions.
These actions outraged the
BCTF, which took the government
to court over the
Bills. In 2007, the Supreme
Court of Canada ruled that key parts of Bill 29 were unconstitutional. In
2011, the BC Supreme Court ruled that several sections in Bills 27 and 28 were
unconstitutional and gave the government one year to amend those bills. The BC
government then introduced Bill 22, which denied teachers the right to negotiate class size
and composition. In January 2014, the BC Supreme Court ruled Bill 22 unconstitutional
and ordered the government to reinstate the bargaining rights of teachers.
Faced with a government that has passed four bills on teachers’ rights since 2002
that have each been declared unconstitutional, the BCTF entered into another round of
bargaining with the BC government in spring 2014. Would the parties be able to overcome
years of conflict and resolve their differences?
In this chapter, we look at sources of conflict and strategies for resolving conflict,
including negotiation.
THE BIG IDEA
Resolving conflicts
and engaging in
successful negotiations
requires
understanding your
objectives and the
objectives of the
other party.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
OB IS FOR EVERYONE
• Is conflict always bad?
• Should you try to win at any cost when you bargain?
• How does anxiety affect negotiating outcomes?
• Ever wonder if men and women negotiate differently?