BC teachers have voted for a full scale walkout that could be staged as early as Monday afternoon, said the union.
BC Teachers' Federation President Jim Iker told media that 28,809 teachers out of a total of 33,387 teachers who cast votes, have voted for a walkout.
Rotating strikes will continue across BC this week, said Iker.
"We want a deal definitely by the end of June and we want to deal earlier than that," said Iker.
"If we get that deal, there will be no more job action, there will be no more lockouts and we can go into the summer knowing we've got some certainty for September for our students and for our teachers."
News reports suggest that a full-scale strike could begin Monday afternoon or Tuesday afternoon.
Iker also indicated that the strike could be averted if a deal with the government is negotiated.
Meanwhile, BC Education Minister Peter Fassbender said that he is not surprised by the vote results.
"We have had and felt the pressure to get a settlement since last June, I feel no more pressure tonight after this vote than I did yesterday," Fassbender told the CBC.
A statement issued by the minister said that "While the BCTF leadership received the mandate they sought, no one should interpret this as any kind of enthusiasm on the part of teachers to shut down schools."
