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Read the latest news in BC post-secondary education.

  • New poll shows British Columbians feel post-secondary education is in need of more support

    Chronic underfunding by the Provincial Government and skyrocketing tuition fees block access, say students and instructors “It may be back-to-school week for thousands of post-secondary students, but this latest poll suggests it should be back to the drawing board for the BC Liberals’ post-secondary education policies,” said Cindy Oliver, President of the Federation of Post-Secondary…

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    Arbitrator backs union's interpretation of mmorandum

    In a decision that will have important benefits for all locals, labour arbitrator Vince Ready has ruled that a letter of understanding and ensuing process and criteria document dealing with professional development is subject to the grievance provisions in our collective agreements. In a decision that will have important benefits for all locals, labour arbitrator…

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    Organizing strategies major focus of Conference on Contingent Academic Labour

    “The most effective tool we have to stop post-secondary employers from exploiting contingent academic labour is collective bargaining and collective agreements,” said Cindy Oliver, President of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators. Oliver was speaking to the Conference on Contingent Academic Labour that was held in Vancouver on August 11-13. “The best protection that we can…

  • FPSE campaign for developmental educational programs is starting to have an impact

    “Holding governments accountable for proper funding of much-needed programs is never easy, but this latest announcement shows our lobby efforts are starting to have an impact,” said Cindy Oliver, President of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE). Oliver was referring to a mid-July announcement from the Ministry of Advanced Education that funding for Developmental Education…

  • Campus 2020 initiative raises more questions than vision for BC's post-secondary education system

    Amid much fanfare and media hype, Premier Campbell took to the podium at a press conference in mid-July to announce the launch of Campus 2020. The initiative will focus on the future of post-secondary education and bring forward recommendations for change in the Spring of 2007. So far, so good. A comprehensive review of the…

  • Cancelled regional hearings speak volumes about the Provincial government's real agenda on literacy

    It was just nine months ago that BC’s Lieutenant Governor, Iona Campagnola, opened the 38th Parliament with details of the government’s strategic plan for the next four years. The plan described “five great goals” that would guide the government’s fiscal and policy agenda until the next provincial election in 2009. At the top of their…

  • Band-aid approach won't work Federation tells Legislative Committee

    The Select Standing Committee on Education, which is holding public hearings on the issue of adult literacy, including specific strategies to improve outcomes for aboriginal and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) adults, heard that “band-aid” measures are not the way to improve literacy and ESL programs. Post-secondary educators urge system-wide funding to fix problems created by years of…

  • Kwantlen Faculty Association's Maureen Shaw appointed to Canadian Labour and Business Centre Board of Directors

    The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC (FPSE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Maureen Shaw to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Labour and Business Centre (CLBC). Currently, Ms. Shaw is the President of the National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers and Vice-President of the Kwantlen Faculty Association (FPSE…

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    Delegates endorse 2006 Action Plan

    Bargaining, funding and outreach are critical issues in Convention debate Delegates at the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators’ 2006 Convention unanimously endorsed a proposed Action Plan that will ready the organization for 2007 common table bargaining while continuing to pressure governments to better fund the public post-secondary education system. Delegates also endorsed a proposal to build…

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    Public sector bargaining in 2006: important lessons for 2007

    Unions representing close to 240,000 provincial public sector workers in BC have just completed marathon bargaining sessions with their employers. The bargaining has been the first real test of Finance Minister Carol Taylor’s plan to re-engage in full-scale, free collective bargaining with public sector workers and an important opportunity for those unions to tackle critical…