Sask. teachers narrowly reject province's latest contract offer
CBC
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) says its members have voted to reject the latest collective agreement offer from the province.
The STF confirmed the result Thursday evening, saying 88 per cent of its member teachers voted, with 55 per cent of those voters rejecting the contract.
"We take our direction from the membership, and members have spoken," STF president Samantha Becotte said in a news release Thursday evening.
"The result of this vote is a message to government and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) that teachers need to see real changes to classroom complexity and compensation. In feedback from members, we heard clearly that their priorities haven't been adequately addressed."
The STF said the teachers' bargaining committee has verbally invited the government back to the bargaining table and will send a formal written invitation Friday.
"If the government and the SSBA decline this invitation, or talks break down, 48 hours' notice will be given prior to the resumption of job action," the STF's release said.
The STF has scheduled a news conference for 10:30 a.m. CST Friday.
Saskatchewan Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill released a statement shortly after the result of the vote was released.
"I am disappointed by the result of the vote that will reject not only a fair agreement negotiated between government, school divisions and the STF, but one that was endorsed and recommended by the STF executive senior leadership," Cockrill said.
"We will have more to say about next steps very soon."
Saskatchewan's 13,500 teachers have been without a contract since August 2023 and voted in favour of job action in October. Months of job action followed, including rotating strikes, work-to-rule action and withdrawal from extracurricular activities and voluntary duties.
The STF executive endorsed this latest proposal, encouraging teachers to accept it in the lead-up to the vote, the first time it had done so for an offer from the province since negotiations began last May.
The offer had some new measures, not in the previously proposed agreement that was resoundingly rejected by teachers earlier this month, including some additional funding to address classroom complexity.
According to an internal document sent to teachers before the vote and obtained by CBC News, the proposal included promises of a task force on classroom complexity, to be co-chaired by the STF, the Ministry of Education and Saskatchewan School Board Association, and include teachers, students and parents.
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