The teachers of Saskatchewan have voted overwhelmingly against the final offer put forward by the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee for a provincial collective bargaining agreement.Ninety percent of voters opposed the GTBC’s final offer, with 92.2% of Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) members casting votes between May 8 and 9. In a press release, STF President Samantha Becotte said the will of teachers was very apparent.“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. The Government of Saskatchewan and the SSBA must finally take this process and these issues seriously and work with teachers in good faith to address the crisis occurring in publicly funded schools under their watch,” Becotte said.“This vote tells students, families and our Teachers’ Bargaining Committee that teachers are deeply committed to securing a sustainable future for publicly funded schools and for the supports our students desperately need in classrooms.”The Teachers’ Bargaining Committee has extended an invitation to the GTBC to return to the negotiating table with a new mandate on May 13 and 14. Teachers anticipate that the GTBC will accept the invitation and return to the bargaining table, and therefore 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,” says Becotte.“We are now a year into this process, having opened negotiations last May. We are nearing the end of a school year spent under the shadow of an intransigent government that seems to disregard the largest job sanctions ever undertaken by Saskatchewan teachers and ignore students’ needs. No more backroom deals and no more ‘final offers.’"School divisions are finalizing their budgets for next year and they’re indicating that funding is still grossly insufficient. The students, families and teachers of Saskatchewan need real commitments to improve experiences in classrooms and solutions to address the challenges in education.”Read more: HARDING: Nasty scenarios would follow teacher rejection of Sask contract offerMinister of Education Jeremy Cockrill responded to the STF decision in a statement Thursday evening."I am disappointed by the result of the vote to reject a fair agreement that was negotiated between the government, school divisions and STF, reflecting the best interests of Saskatchewan students, teachers, parents and taxpayers," Cockrill said."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 contract offer from the province which was rejected, offered annual pay increases of 3%, 3%, and 2% and a commitment to follow and honour a commitment to an accountability framework for school boards on class size and complexity.
The teachers of Saskatchewan have voted overwhelmingly against the final offer put forward by the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee for a provincial collective bargaining agreement.Ninety percent of voters opposed the GTBC’s final offer, with 92.2% of Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) members casting votes between May 8 and 9. In a press release, STF President Samantha Becotte said the will of teachers was very apparent.“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. The Government of Saskatchewan and the SSBA must finally take this process and these issues seriously and work with teachers in good faith to address the crisis occurring in publicly funded schools under their watch,” Becotte said.“This vote tells students, families and our Teachers’ Bargaining Committee that teachers are deeply committed to securing a sustainable future for publicly funded schools and for the supports our students desperately need in classrooms.”The Teachers’ Bargaining Committee has extended an invitation to the GTBC to return to the negotiating table with a new mandate on May 13 and 14. Teachers anticipate that the GTBC will accept the invitation and return to the bargaining table, and therefore 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,” says Becotte.“We are now a year into this process, having opened negotiations last May. We are nearing the end of a school year spent under the shadow of an intransigent government that seems to disregard the largest job sanctions ever undertaken by Saskatchewan teachers and ignore students’ needs. No more backroom deals and no more ‘final offers.’"School divisions are finalizing their budgets for next year and they’re indicating that funding is still grossly insufficient. The students, families and teachers of Saskatchewan need real commitments to improve experiences in classrooms and solutions to address the challenges in education.”Read more: HARDING: Nasty scenarios would follow teacher rejection of Sask contract offerMinister of Education Jeremy Cockrill responded to the STF decision in a statement Thursday evening."I am disappointed by the result of the vote to reject a fair agreement that was negotiated between the government, school divisions and STF, reflecting the best interests of Saskatchewan students, teachers, parents and taxpayers," Cockrill said."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 contract offer from the province which was rejected, offered annual pay increases of 3%, 3%, and 2% and a commitment to follow and honour a commitment to an accountability framework for school boards on class size and complexity.
