More job action coming as contract talks between Sask. teachers, province stall again

Contract negotiations between the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation and the province have stalled again, and the union says more job action is set to begin on Friday.

The teachers' federation informed its members Tuesday that the two sides have reached an impasse.

The union announced its members will withdraw noon-hour supervision provincewide on Friday, while there will also be another one-day rotating strike that day, following other one-day strikes in recent weeks.

Members at the following local teachers' associations and schools are set to walk off the job Friday, the union says:

• Tri-West Teachers' Association: Living Sky School Division, Light of Christ School Division, Sakewew High School (North Battleford).

• Prince Albert and Area Teachers' Association: Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, Prince Albert Catholic School Division.

• Association locale des enseignantes et enseignants fransaskois: École St-Isidore (Prince Albert), École Valois (Prince Albert), École Père Mercure (North Battleford).

• DLC (Distance Learning Centre) north central campus in Prince Albert.

Samantha Becotte, the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation's president, posted a video on social media outlining the teachers' concerns which revolve around salaries, classroom size and complexity.

"This government is trying to sidestep the bargaining process," Becotte said in the video. "They do not want to make long-term commitments that they can be held accountable to, to ensure that our students get the support that they need."

Saskatchewan's Premier Scott Moe posted a video where Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill told a different story. Cockrill said offers were on the table.

"One, the government trustee bargaining committee made a new offer around teacher salaries and two, outside of the contract, the government has put forward a commitment regarding classroom composition," Cockrill said.

Becotte disputed Cockrill's description of the offers on the table.

"The offers that he's talking about around compensation, those didn't come to the bargaining table, and the offer that he's talking about in terms of classroom complexity isn't within the collective agreement, so it's not worth the paper that it's written on," Becotte said on CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Both sides accusing the other of walking away

Teachers in the province have been without a contract since August and began a series of escalating job actions last month with rotating one-day strikes.

The most recent round of contract negotiations started earlier this week and ended with both sides accusing the other of walking away from the bargaining table.

Cockrill provided his account of what happened at the bargaining table in his video.

"Bargaining requires both sides to be at the table, and the government-trustee bargaining committee was ready to negotiate a fair deal," Cockrill said. "But the teachers union chose to walk away after just 30 minutes."

Once again, Becotte disputed that description. She said the government-trustee bargaining committee delayed talks until Monday afternoon, then pushed them to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday before cancelling altogether.

"We had committed to those two days. I was fully expecting to be there until midnight or 2 a.m. or whatever it took to get to a tentative agreement," Becotte said.

"But like the minister said, we need two sides at the table to make that agreement, and the government-trustee bargaining team has never had the authority to negotiate at the table and then they just simply didn't show up."

Becotte said it's frustrating that teachers need to continue taking job action to motivate the government to move off its position, but that they are willing to do so.

Cockrill is slated to talk to reporters at 9:00 a.m CST on Wednesday, while Becotte is to hold a virtual media conference at 10:00 a.m CST.

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