Education Minister George Abbott and BCTF president Susan Lambert got two standing ovations when they appeared on stage together following his speech at the teachers' annual conference in Victoria on Tuesday morning.

Abbott is the first education minister in decades to speak at the annual event, and is known for his conciliatory style in the tough portfolio. He told the assembly he wants to find ways to improve relations between them and the government.

"I'm told that minister of education sightings are relatively rare at your gatherings, rather like a Sasquatch in Stanley Park... We need to find a way to make peace," he said.

Abbott worked as a substitute teacher and spent 15 years as a college instructor. BCTF president Susan Lambert says it makes a big difference to have a minister with a background in education "who has extended an olive branch to the profession. I think it's a very hopeful sign."

Tough contract talks ahead

But Abbott's warm reception might not last. The teachers' contract expires June 30, and the BCTF is asking for salary increases and smaller class sizes. The 41,000-member labour organization says British Columbia has dropped to eighth in Canada when it comes to teachers' salaries.

But the government has already said teachers will get no wage increase in the new contract, just like the rest of the public service. Nor is Abbott committing to restore teachers right to negotiate class sizes, although he did promise an open door and a better working relationship.

Both sides are likely eager to avoid a strike though. An illegal strike in the fall of 2005 kept students out of school for 17 days as labour relations between the B.C. Liberals and the BCTF reached an all-time low.

In June 2006, teachers accepted a five-year contract that included wage and benefit increases that amounted to about 16 per cent and bonuses worth up to $4,700 each.

The B.C. Liberals passed legislation shortly after their election in 2001 that made public education an essential service and limited the level of job action teachers could take.