A two-day strike by Saskatchewan’s 12,000 teachers last week, followed by a pledge to withdraw voluntary services, has resulted in a return to the bargaining table and the classroom.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee resumed negotiating May 29.
Education minister Donna Harpauer said May 27 the government would bring more money to the table but declined to say how much.
The teachers first asked for 12 percent in one year and then revised it to 16.3 percent over three years following a one-day walkout May 5.
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The government previously offered 5.5 percent over three years, with additional money for certain areas such as wages for new teachers.
“It’s a long ways apart. There’s no doubt,” Harpauer said.
“We’ve been very vocal that the 16 percent that comes with a $320 million price tag is totally unreasonable.”
Harpauer said the government would offer more money but only if teachers returned to negotiations.
More than 2,000 teachers from across the province rallied at the provincial legislature in Regina May 26 before walking downtown past the Saskatchewan School Board Association office to another gathering in Victoria Park.
Gwen Dueck, spokesperson for the teachers’ bargaining committee, said the STF returns to negotiate under the assumption that there is more money.
She said the teachers’ offer is fair, reasonable and competitive.
“The government needs to show they are flexible and willing to come up with real solutions,” she said in a news release.
Teachers are back in their classrooms, but they continue working only during school hours. They are not participating in events outside the school day, which affects all extracurricular activities. School buses are running.
Harpauer said she was optimistic talks this week would result in an agreement.
“The one concerning thing we still have, however, is the teachers’ federation will not ensure that final exams will take place or that they won’t return to all day strikes,” she said.
The minister said final departmental exams could be administered without teachers, but teacher written finals could not. That variance across the province causes concern, she said.
Graduating students need transcripts to apply for post-secondary education and scholarships. Harpauer said those would be hard to assess without a standard final mark.
Meanwhile, rotating strikes by Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan continued last week with no word on if and when those talks would resume.
More than 3,000 specialized workers such as speech therapists, perfusionists and addictions counsellors have been walking out in different locations for a day or two at a time since issuing strike notice in early May.
The workers have been without a contract for two years and have asked for binding arbitration, but the government has refused.
Also last week, workers at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, who are members of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union, took a strike vote.
They voted 86 percent in favour of a strike mandate. They are asking for a 12 percent wage increase over three years.
The government has offered 5.5 percent.
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Canadian class 4 teacher average annual wages, 2009 Min.Max.British Columbia $42,932 $64,131AlbertaSaskatchewanManitobaOntarioQuebecNew BrunswickP.E.I.Nova ScotiaNewfoundlandCanada53,823 85,37646,419 73,03647,366 73,17249,270 83,09136,472 70,35241,398 64,01640,654 58,17447,074 67,18647,306 61,946
45,271 70,048
