Dates set for binding arbitration between teachers and Sask. government

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) says the dates have been set for binding arbitration hearings that will end its heated and drawn out contract dispute with the province.

According to the STF, the hearings will take place from Dec. 16 to 20 in Saskatoon, with former University of Saskatchewan law professor Daniel Ish serving as arbitrator.

In binding arbitration, a neutral third party joins negotiations and listens to proposals from both sides before making a decision on the best path forward — which the two parties must accept.

“The panel will weigh the facts and rationale presented and the arbitrator’s decision will be delivered in the form of a legally binding written report, delivered after the process has been completed,” the STF said in a release.

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The province and the organization representing the province’s teachers agreed to participate in binding arbitration in June, putting an end to a “work to rule” job action that meant teachers were refusing all voluntary services, including lunch time supervision.

Teachers have been negotiating since May 2023, and without a contract since August 2023.

Almost since the outset, negotiations have been rife with open conflict, protest and a series of full-scale and rotating job actions, as the two sides seemed unable to come to an agreement on the issues of classroom size and complexity.

The move to binding arbitration came after teachers rejected a second contract proposal from the government’s bargaining committee, with 55 per cent of participating teachers voting no on the offer.

Last month, retired Saskatoon Public Schools teacher and principal Dawn Harkness was chosen to represent teachers in the hearings, and former Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools director Greg Chatlain was nominated to represent the government and trustees.