The President of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation says, “We are giving this government every opportunity to return to the table and engage with us to find solutions.” Teachers are back on the picket line today for the second Monday in a row. Samantha Becotte explains that the government refuses to give their bargaining committee a new mandate to negotiate on class size and complexity.

Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said last week that the government has increased funding to schools and has two pilot projects which address class complexity issues. He stated that the Government Trustee Bargaining Committee has put forward a fair deal for teachers with a 7% raise over three years.

Becotte says, “The Minister wants to make this all about teacher salaries and continues to misrepresent our proposals.” You can click here to see what the STF is asking for, including their wage proposal of an annual pay increase of two percent plus the Consumer Price Index average annual rate for Saskatchewan, for each of the next four years.

Becotte stresses they don’t want to strike because teachers understand how it affects schedules for parents and students. However, she adds that if the government doesn’t budge from its original contract proposal back in May, a full-scale strike is not off the table.

The Premier says per capita, Saskatchewan leads the nation in education, however, NDP Education Critic Matt Love says per student is a more accurate portrayal, and in that case the province is in 8th place. Teachers are gathering today (Mon) at 35 different locations across the province. In Saskatoon, they will be in the same locations as last week – the Mall at Lawson Heights, Midtown Plaza and The Centre Mall.