Sask. teachers threaten job action after negotiation 'impasse'
CTV
The union representing Saskatchewan teachers will vote on whether to authorize job action next week.
The union representing Saskatchewan teachers will vote on whether to authorize job action next week.
Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) president Samantha Becotte said contract talks are at an "impasse" because the provincial government is "refusing to negotiate" on issues such as class sizes and the increasingly complex needs of students.
"Teachers want to reach a deal that is negotiated at the table and we're extremely disappointed that government is still refusing to address the most pressing issues in education," Becotte told reporters during a virtual news conference Monday morning.
"I actually just heard from a principal in rural Saskatchewan who said that their school has not seen their occupational therapist in nine years. That's crazy."
The formal declaration of an impasse legally clears the way for the STF to seek the assistance of a conciliator to guide the bargaining process, a step Becotte says the union will take this week.
"Our goal for conciliation is to help us get an agreement for teachers that addresses not just compensation and benefits, but also addresses teachers' working conditions," Becotte said.
"If you haven't heard us say it before, teachers' working conditions are our students' learning conditions."
