rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Saskatchewan teachers have overwhelmingly voted “no” to a proposed deal that would have marked the end of a nearly year-long labour dispute.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) says 92.2 per cent of members voted, with 90 per cent of those voting no.
“The message to government and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association is crystal clear: their so-called ‘final offer’ is unacceptable and does a disservice to students and teachers,” STF president Samantha Becotte said in a news release sent on Thursday evening.
According to the release, the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee extended an invitation to the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC) to return to the negotiating table on May 13 and 14. If the GTBC accepts the invitation, teachers “will not immediately recommence sanctions.”
“We need a deal that guarantees the government’s full, unwavering commitment to the future of public schools beyond the election cycle. Anything less is untenable,” Becotte said in the release.
The STF has said the proposed deal was presented as a “final offer” while the province classified it as a “tentative agreement.”
The deal would have seen an eight per cent pay increase over three years, three per cent in the first two years and three per cent in the final year of the deal – with pay retroactive to September 2023.
Classroom size and complexity was not addressed in the offer itself – rather a line was included referring to a funding agreement that the province signed with school divisions.
The agreement contains “accountability framework” which the province says will address sustainable funding concerns from teachers.
Becotte is set to hold a news conference at 10:30 Friday morning to discuss the results of the vote and the STF’s path forward.
In a statement released Thursday evening, Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill expressed his disappointment with the result of the vote.
“The best deal will be reached at the bargaining table, and both sides should immediately agree to return to the table and avoid any further sanctions that could jeopardize instructional time and important milestone events for Saskatchewan students,” the statement read.
The two sides began bargaining in late May of 2023. Saskatchewan teachers’ last contract expired in August of that year.
The STF declared an impasse in October and voted overwhelmingly in favour of job action soon after.
Job action officially began in January and included rotating one day strikes, the pause of supervision and extracurricular activities and “work to rule.”