Sask. teachers' union, government strike conciliatory tone ahead of talks

The head of the Saskatchewan teachers' union is optimistic there will be a way forward as contract talks resume, but says job action could resume quickly if they aren't productive.

"We have set aside two days and we are ready to negotiate all through the day — all through the night if needed — to reach an agreement with this government," Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) president Samantha Becotte said on Thursday.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced he would send the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GBTC) back to the bargaining table with a renewed "mandate."

The STF promptly suspended a planned job action that would have seen teachers walk off the job during Thursday's lunch hour. Moe's announcement came the same day teachers were off the job in the Saskatoon area and the province's north as part of a series of single-day rotating strikes.

"We're hopeful that the GTBC has the authority to engage in good faith negotiations as well. If we're not able to reach an agreement over those two days, further sanction action may be announced following the dates," Becotte said.

Negotiations have been at a standstill since last year, largely due to the STF's desire to see articles addressing classroom size and complexity incorporated into its new contract. The GTBC, which negotiates on behalf of the Saskatchewan government and the province's elected school boards, has maintained those decisions are best left to local school divisions.

Becotte has repeatedly called on the government to charge the GTBC with a new "mandate" that will allow it to discuss workplace issues beyond compensation.

While the government announcement largely focused on a new salary offer which would mirror how MLAs are compensated, Becotte said she is hopeful the GTBC will be ready "to have back and forth conversations" that could include issues teachers are most concerned about.

Speaking to reporters in Regina on Thursday, education minister Jeremy Cockrill said the new mandate includes "multiple items," but classroom complexity is not among them.

"We don't believe those conversations belong at the bargaining table," Cockrill said, pointing tto a pair of short-term pilot projects unveiled just before the STF's first strike announcement on Jan. 11.

One will create eight "specialized support" classrooms, each with up to 15 students at urban school divisions. The other is a "teacher innovation" fund, running through the end of the 2024-25 school year, where educators can pitch ideas for improvements and receive anywhere from $10,000 to $75,000 to roll out the plans in schools.

"You have seen us as a government make several moves on classroom complexity over the last several weeks," Cockrill said.

Becotte said the STF recognizes that school divisions each have unique needs, but there's a way to negotiate further guarantees without affecting local decision-making.

• Here's how other provinces have handled classroom size, complexity

"We'd be happy to engage in a conversation at the table to look at how we can have, or how we could create a mechanism that would ensure accountability that funding would be provided to school divisions," Becotte said.

"We are really hopeful that at the end of the two days, hopefully, it is a positive announcement that we're making about a tentative agreement that has been reached between teachers, government and school boards," she said.

Cockrill also struck a hopeful tone about the upcoming round of negotiations.

"I'm encouraged and optimistic today that we we may have a path to negotiate a deal here," Cockrill said

If talks falter, Becotte said job action could resume with 48 hours notice.