Sask. Teachers' Federation, gov't searching for path forward following impasse, reinstating job sanctions

As teachers right across Saskatchewan prepare to take part in “work-to rule” job action beginning next week – both sides are presenting their case as to why after a year-long labour dispute, a deal has not yet been reached.

In the first day of negotiations following the rejection of a tentative agreement – the Government Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC) requested moving negotiations to binding arbitration.

The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) refused – citing the need to continue discussing potential additions or changes to the proposed agreement following its rejection by 55 per cent of the STF’s membership.

“I believe that we are close to an agreement,” STF President Samantha Becotte told reporters Thursday morning. “I encourage the government and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SBBA) to continue negotiating so that we can come to a quick resolution and start improving our students’ learning conditions and our teachers’ working conditions as soon as possible.”

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Becotte said in conversations with teachers following the vote – it became clear that several concerns needed addressing before another deal made its way to the membership.

“In the conversations that I heard from teachers, their position around the last tentative agreement was that there were too many things that were included that were promises for the future,” she said. “Like I said, we need to see solutions to the growing needs of our students and increasing classroom complexity.”

The STF did suggest binding arbitration earlier this year in the midst of job action and a negotiation deadlock. The federation called for a third party arbitrator to determine whether class size and complexity measures belonged in the collective agreement.

• Sask. teachers call for a referee to end contract stalemate, province not interested

Now it is the government that’s requesting the process – to help ratify what it believes is the best possible deal.

“It's frustrating, especially the decision last night, to reject binding arbitration, and then come out and say that sanctions are starting again on Monday. Certainly, there was progress made at the bargaining table, but now we feel it's time to go to binding arbitration. Let a third party settle this,” Cockrill told CTV Morning Live Saskatchewan on Thursday.

“Our bargaining mandate from a wage perspective has certainly been accepted by almost 20 different bargaining tables around the province now. So, we're at an impasse here again, and it's time to let a third party settle it.”

• Here's a complete timeline of the Saskatchewan teachers labour dispute

Speaking about the vote, Cockrill said that binding arbitration would be the best way to address the “split” in the STF membership.

“We feel that the agreement was reasonable, and certainly the STF leadership did,” he said.

“It seems to me that the STF membership is split and that's where we should go to binding arbitration and get this figured out.”

The refusal of binding arbitration by the STF will see teachers return to “work to rule” on Monday, June 10.

Educators will withdraw from all extracurricular activities and all voluntary services – meaning teachers will arrive 15 minutes before their work day begins and leave 15 minutes after it ends.

Staff must leave their place of work during the scheduled noon hour as well under the rules.

Responding to concerns over graduation ceremonies, Cockrill referred to his earlier statements – assuring students and parents that working is being done to make sure events will go ahead regardless of job action.

“I know many school divisions have already had their graduation ceremonies, some have not yet. So again, we're going to be working with school divisions to understand what they're going to be doing,” he explained.

“We've already had that discussion ongoing now for a couple months. But certainly our expectation of school divisions is that those graduation activities go ahead.”

Becotte ended off by reiterating that job action can cease at anytime – once there’s an agreement to resume negotiations.

“Any sanctions that are announced now can be withdrawn. I'd be happy to be able to withdraw them before Monday if government came back with a willingness to negotiate some of those real solutions before that time,” she said.

“We don't want to delay in this process any longer and there is a willingness to look at solutions. It simply comes down to the political will to properly fund our public education system. We've had a decade of underfunding and teachers have said we can't continue any longer.”