Sask. labour lawyer's pitch to end teachers' job action: 'empower the principals'

As the contract stalemate between the province and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) continues, a Saskatoon labour lawyer says some creative thinking is required to get both sides back to the negotiating table.

As the contract stalemate between the province and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) continues, a Saskatoon labour lawyer says some creative thinking is required to get both sides back to the negotiating table.

Steven Seiferling, managing lawyer at Seiferling Law, says the dynamic between the STF and the province is a unique labour negotiation because of the pressure each party is trying to exert over the other.

"In your normal unionized work situation, you've got the ability to strike or the employer's ability to lock out is based on putting economic pressure on the business," Seiferling said. "The conundrum here is that in the public sector, when we're dealing with teachers, they are falling into a different category where the employer is government, and the economic pressure doesn't exist."

Without that economic pressure, Seiferling says the STF is instead playing a delicate balance of exerting political pressure on the province, raise awareness of its concerns while also trying to maintain support and not negatively affect parents’ lives.

"The burden is put on the parents and I don't know if the union is looking at the parents to try and put pressure on government," Sefierling said. "There's a whole dynamic there."

"There's no logical connection between that pressure on parents and getting the government back to the table for the teachers."

At a news conference Tuesday, Premier Scott Moe said the government has been working to do its part in getting teachers back to the table.