Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation votes against tentative agreement for second time in May

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) has voted against a tentative agreement brought forward by the province for the second time, saying priorities aren’t being addressed.

“The result of this vote is a message to government and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association that teachers need to see real changes to classroom complexity and compensation,” STF president Samantha Becotte said.

“In feedback from members, we heard clearly that their priorities haven’t been adequately addressed.”

According to a release from the STF Thursday evening, 55 per cent of teachers opposed the agreement with 88 per cent of eligible members voting over the last two days.

STF members started voting Wednesday after the government announced earlier in May that a tentative deal had been reached between the bargaining committees.

The three-year agreement included:

• An accountability framework signed by all parties and attached to the Provincial Collective Bargaining Agreement as a Memorandum of Understanding.
• An additional $18 million per year to address classroom complexity added to the Multi-Year Funding Agreement.
• The creation of task force on classroom complexity, allowing teachers, parents and students to report on classroom complexity.
• A policy table on violence-free classrooms.

The agreement also included three per cent salary increases for teachers for the next two years and a two per cent increase in the third year.

The province also added provisions on the Supplemental Employment Benefits Plan, grievance procedures, principals and vice-principals, and a Truth and Reconciliation preamble.

Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill said the result of STF’s vote is disappointing.

“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,” he said in a statement Thursday evening.

He said the province will have more on next steps for the parties soon.

Becotte said she appreciates the government’s willingness to bargain at the table.

“I expect that these productive negotiations will continue and we can return to the table to chart a path towards and agreement that will meet the needs of Saskatchewan’s students and teachers without further interruptions to the school year,” she said.

The STF returned to the table in May after overwhelmingly rejecting the government’s previous offer and voted 95 per cent in favour of renewed job sanctions if necessary.

The sides have been at odds, with the STF calling for issues like classroom size and complexity to be addressed in a new agreement and the province saying those issues fall under school board jurisdiction.

Issues around underfunding for education have been a persistent topic in Saskatchewan, with both teachers and school boards saying the province’s funding has not kept up with inflation for several years now.

In the midst of collective bargaining talks, billboards started popping up across Saskatchewan from the provincial government talking about the proposed salary increase for teachers, calling it “A Fair Deal for Teachers.”

The STF had also been vocal about what was described as a lack of movement from the government, with STF president Samantha Becotte saying in July 2023 that she foresaw an erosion of public education if supports weren’t brought forward.

Job action followed in the new year with strikes taking place at different schools on different days, as well as extracurricular activities and lunchroom supervision being pulled.

Talks at the bargaining table occurred less and less as the STF said it wouldn’t speak with the province’s bargaining committee unless it was given a new mandate to discuss issues that were important to teachers.

— with files from Global News’ Brody Langager