Sask. education minister seeks binding arbitration, STF hopes for bargaining after second offer rejection
CTV
Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) president Samantha Becotte and Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill both spoke Friday morning after teachers voted down a second offer from the province on Thursday.
The day after Saskatchewan teachers voted “no” to a second tentative offer from the province, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) and Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill are united in looking for a path forward that will eventually end the now year long dispute.
However, one side is seeking to immediately move to binding arbitration while the other hopes there are still more options to discuss at the bargaining table.
Over two days, 88 per cent of STF members voted, with 55 per cent of those voting no to the latest offer.
In a media availability on Friday morning, STF president Samantha Becotte acknowledged that it was a difficult decision for teachers in the province to make.
“I understand where teachers are coming from on both sides of the issue but I think teachers recognize that we need to find more solutions for public education and whether they said this was a good enough start or not,” she said.
Going forward, Becotte said there are multiple items she would like to see in a new offer that weren’t included in the previous one.
“We’re talking about providing a basic level of service to our students, whether it is assurances that they will have timely access to mental health counseling, timely access to educational psychologists so that we can identify what the specific supports are that the students may require,” she said.
