STF president says government won’t negotiate on ‘key issues’

Negotiations have hit a wall after five days of conciliation meetings between the provincial government and teachers.

Samantha Becotte, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, said the conciliation panel declared an impasse, with the process ending just like previous negotiations held from May to October.

“Both of the processes, I believe, had exhausted every opportunity for the government to really engage in negotiations,” Becotte said.

STF president Samantha Becotte speaks to media in an online news conference on Sept. 20, 2022. (650 CKOM file photo)

The union head said the provincial government “failed” to move off of its original position on key issues teachers brought forward during the negotiations. Those issues included class sizes, classroom complexity, and violence in the classroom.

She said the provincial government under-funding education over the past decade has created significant disruptions.

Provincial education funding was increased by 6.2 per cent in 2023.

“Despite all of our efforts (the government) remains fixed in (its) belief that teachers shouldn’t have the ability to negotiate their working conditions,” she said.

Becotte said the union wants to set targets in order to ensure a minimum standard for a quality education, such as the number of professionals in school divisions.

Although a statement from the union said sanctions are now “virtually inevitable,” Becotte said she’d still be happy to go back to the table and take part in further negotiations.

“We would go back to the table tonight, tomorrow, (or) whenever the government is ready to begin negotiating on these key issues,” Becotte said.

A Conciliation Board report is expected by Jan. 15.

“We are giving the government every opportunity to avoid any potential disruption that is caused by job action,” she said.

Now, the union is urging those in the province with concerns about public education to to contact their elected representatives, as well as Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill and Premier Scott Moe.

Moe called it “unfortunate” that bargaining broke down.

The premier asked that the federation rejoin the province at the table to resume the bargaining process, saying the provincial government wants to find a place for teachers’ contracts to prevent educators from having to worry in coming years.

“The bargaining is the place where the best agreements come to fruition, not the picket lines,” Moe told Evan Bray in an interview on Wednesday.

NDP critic says gov’t needs to get back to bargaining

The Saskatchewan NDP slammed the Sask. Party after the negotiations stalled.

“Any future disruption to learning that might take place as a result of this breakdown stalls squarely at the feet of Premier Moe, Minister Cockrill and the Sask. Party government,” NDP Education Critic Matt Love said outside his Saskatoon office on Wednesday.

NDP critic Matt Love speaks to reporters after conciliation between the government and teachers reached an impasse. (Shane Clausing/650 CKOM)

“They’ve had 16 years to invest in education across this province – 16 years to address the challenges we see in our classrooms. The place we find ourselves today is a result of their failures to properly invest in education.”

At the end of the day, Love said the NDP wants teachers to be able to do their jobs and provide a safe and equitable learning environment for children and youths in Saskatchewan.

“If this government isn’t willing to sit down at a table and bargain for those things, then I think it’s an indictment of their own record,” Love stated.

“It’s up to Premier Moe and Minister Cockrill to get to the table with an offer to teachers that will begin to solve these problems.”

Love also slammed a billboard campaign launched by the Sask. Party in June, which touted what the government already does for teachers and said the average salary for teachers in the province is $92,000, higher than the Western Canadian average.

“I think teachers would dispute the information on those that misrepresented how much a teacher makes in Saskatchewan. The government has been unable to provide a source or any information to backup those claims,” Love said.

“The public is wondering, what was the purpose of those billboards? It certainly appears the purpose of those billboards in the public eye is that teachers aren’t worth the investment we make in them with our taxpayer dollars.”

He said the advertising campaign proved to him that the government isn’t serious about the negotiations.

“The government isn’t serious about solving problems in classrooms. If they were, they’d be listening to parents, teachers, students and experts, but they’ve never been willing to sit down and listen to those concerned people,” Love said.

“They’re playing a political game with our classrooms by spending taxpayer dollars on billboards instead of solving the problems of crowded and complex classrooms.”

Love said the Sask. Party government has a bad record when it comes to listening to the people it employs.

“They’re failing to listen to nurses, doctors and health professionals. They’ve failed to listen to mental-health experts and what’s best for young people, and then again they’ve failed to listen to teachers,” he said.

“This is a government with a track record of failing to sit down and listen to folks who know best and do what’s best for Saskatchewan.”

– With files from 650 CKOM’s Shane Clausing and Libby Giesbrecht