The war of words continues to escalate between Alberta’s teachers and the provincial government.
Alberta’s education minister is, apparently, done playing nice with the province’s teachers announcing in an e-mail to school board trustees that contract “negotiations are over” and any incentives previously offered are now “off the table.”
In the e-mail, Minister Jeff Johnson urged trustees to keep certain “fiscal realities in mind” as local school boards negotiate with Alberta’s teachers.
Johnson also noted that he is “no longer in position to fund any form of cash incentive for the next four years.”
“Provincial negotiations are over,” he said in the email, sent Friday, March 1. “The incentives I offered are off the table. Further be aware that any negotiated deals must include wage freezes for three years and no more than a two per cent increase in the fourth year. Anything else is simply not sustainable for our education system and will not be funded by government.”
The stern missive has the province’s teachers’ union accusing the education minister of “manufacturing a crisis.”
“He’s trying to make this out to be a much bigger crisis than it needs to be,” said Jonathan Teghtmeyer, a spokesperson with the Alberta Teachers’ Association. “We have a long history of local bargaining in this province and the vast majority of collective agreements are reached without labour disruption.”
Alberta teachers have been without a contract since the end of August 2012.
Kim Capstick, press secretary for the minister, said in an e-mail to the Calgary Herald that, “Minister Johnson wants to ensure that local boards negotiate agreements that are sustainable and do not divert funding from classroom programs.”
On Friday, Minister Johnson told reporters he foresees labour disruptions in the next two years and warned that some school boards will face job cuts and wage rollbacks without a long-term agreement in place.
Alberta teachers flatly rejected the province’s last labour contract offer, which included three years of salary grid freezes, followed by a two per cent increase in the fourth year, as well as a one-time lump sum one per cent payment in years three and four.
But the rejection by the teachers means all bargaining on issues, such as workload and compensation, now falls on 62 local school boards.
Teghtmeyer said ATA members are growing tired of the minister’s “clear pattern of interfering” in the bargaining process.
“Our teachers have already been telling us that they are quite concerned about his insistence of getting in the way of local bargaining,” said Teghtmeyer. “We are quite surprised that the minister would take such a confrontational stance with teachers.”
Alberta’s privacy commissioner launched a formal investigation into an e-mail sent by Minister Johnson to more than 30,000 school teachers. His office pulled the e-mail addresses, many of them personal, from a provincial registry that contains a list of every certified teacher in Alberta.
Global News obtained a copy of Jeff Johnson’s email from the ATA. The email is posted below:
Thank you to all of the trustees who have taken the time to meet with me over the last several weeks. I appreciate hearing your successes and your challenges, and the opportunity to share with you the fiscal realities we are facing as a province.
As I outlined in our meetings, the government’s fiscal situation has changed significantly over the last several months and the widening gaps between the world price of oil and the price that Alberta receives paint a difficult financial picture.
At the same time, our strong economy continues to draw people to our province, placing increased pressures on many of you who are facing increasing enrolments as a result. I am also aware how reduced enrolment in our rural areas has put pressure on many boards.
As you and your trustees continue to negotiate with the provincial ATA, I urge you to keep these fiscal realities in mind. Our teachers are already the highest paid among the provinces. While we are proud that our teachers are well compensated and we all benefit from the competitive advantage that gives us, we can’t afford to let the gap between them and their counterparts across the country to grow.
Albertans expect our government to live within our means. They also expect school boards to live within your means. Collective agreements with teachers must ensure our world class education system remains sustainable.
Many of you have approached me about taking the offer I recently tabled to your local teachers for consideration. I would encourage that, but please note that I am no longer in position to fund any form of cash incentive for the next four years.
Provincial negotiations are over. The incentives I offered are off the table. Further, be aware that any negotiated deals must include wage freezes for three years and no more than a 2% increase in the fourth year. Anything else is simply not sustainable for our education system and will not be funded by government.
I recognize that this is a difficult position for school boards, but it is critical that all boards work within this framework. I would also remind boards to ensure I have 10 business days to review any potential agreements.
I trust that by working together, we can ensure that we maintain the world-class education system we are all so proud and ensure it is sustainable going forward.
Sincerely,
Jeff Johnson
Minister of Education
MLA, Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater
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