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Teachers w'ant break over pay deductions Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Teacher supporter Liz Munro joins the protest action IFriLdv tHalloveenI. makina her thouahts on Bill 160 clear. By KIM ARNOTT Special to The Champion Halton's Catholic teachers are asking the local school board for a break when it cornes to docking them pay for missed strike days. The teachers want the board to spread out the cost of unpaid strike days over the remainder of the year's paycheques. "Clearly the impact s pread over four pays, or 18I pays, is less than spread over one pay," said Richard Brock, president of the Halton elementary branch of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA). "And Christmas is coming." Teachers who do flot report to work will flot be paid for the days they miss during the illegal strike against the provincial govemment's education reform bill. Mr. Brock bas formally requested the board consider deducting the unpaid strike days from paycheques throughout the 1997/98 academic year. He says stiiking teacbers have worked to facilitate board requesta and maintain good relations with the board. "This bas been an extremely amicable political protest," he said. "Clearly the fight bas flot been with the board, it's been with the government. "So legally, if they can facilitate us, hopefully they will. If they cannot, they cannot." A decision on the issue will be made by school board trustees following the stnike, but board Chair Don Schrenk says he would flot support apreading the deduc- tiona out. "I think the teachers have taken a very clear stance and the ramifications of going out on strike generally include the loas of pay for the period of the strike," he said. "They've talked about the principle of it, and I think the principle involves some hardship," Mr. Schrenk added. "There have been hardships for parents and stu- dents, and I think teachers have to share the pain. "Certainly to minimize the impact is flot something the general public would proba- bly support." Teachers in Hamilton have made a simi- lar request of the public achool board there, but so far the Halton Board of Education bas flot received any requesta. from teachers' unions to spread out the cost of strike deductions. 1998 SNIE 11.99 SUFR s