Thousands of Alberta teachers have given notice they will strike Feb. 4.
The Alberta Teachers Association delayed the strike until February to
allow students to write their provincial achievement exams.
Six school districts have conducted a supervised strike vote and can
walk out with 72 hours notice. Sixteen districts could conduct a strike
vote by Feb. 4. Thirty-one districts are still in negotiations with
school boards.
Learning minister Lyle Oberg has said he would order teachers back to
work before students lost an entire school term.
Normally the teachers negotiate with their local school boards for wage
increases, but this year the provincial government allocated a six
percent wage increase in the budget for teacher salaries, eliminating
the local school boards’ ability to
negotiate a settlement.
Teachers are asking for a 22 percent wage increase in line with
increases given to nurses last year.
