Sask. government, teachers' union clash over classroom proposals as contract talks begin

While the Saskatchewan government's bargaining team is saying it's laid out a "fair" offer, the teachers' union says many of its key proposals have been "met with resistance," as the two sides settle in for a summer of contract negotiations.

Thursday afternoon, the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC), a combination of government and Saskatchewan School Boards Association representatives, issued a press release laying out its proposed salary increases for teachers.

The GBTC said it has offered a three per cent increase for 2023, followed by two per cent increases in 2024 and 2025.

"The GTBC's proposed offer of seven per cent over three years is a fair deal that recognizes the important work of Saskatchewan teachers," the news release said.

It's still early in the process, with contract negotiations expected to continue throughout the summer with the current collective agreement set to expire in August.

"Our offer ensures that wages and benefits for Saskatchewan teachers remain above the western Canadian average," Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in the news release.

Saskatchewan Teachers Federation president Samantha Becotte says while the province's educators have pressing concerns around class size and complexity, as well as student supports, the proposed salary increase falls short of what's needed.

"Teacher salaries have fallen below the rate of inflation. For our last two agreements, we've lost about seven-point-five per cent of purchasing power," Becotte told CTV News Friday morning.

'We want to ensure that teachers are successful in their classes, but teachers also shouldn't be worrying about whether they can pay their mortgages or whether they can afford their groceries."

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Beyond salary increases, Becotte emphasized the challenges she says teachers are facing in Saskatchewan classrooms are "a top priority" for this round of bargaining.

"We know teachers are not just looking at salary, we want to ensure that students in our classes are supported," Becotte said.

"There are proposals aimed at looking at class size and complexity and having a mechanism to ensure that classes don't continue to grow and that we have the right number of teachers in schools."

The additional proposals are already proving to be a sticking point, judging by a message sent to STF members Thursday afternoon.

"The [STF bargaining team] was met with resistance to have class size and complexity, and several other proposals, included in a provincial collective agreement," says the email obtained by CTV News.

Although the STF was given advance notice that the government was planning to publicly share its current salary offer, she said she hopes the focus remains on what's happening at the bargaining table.

"We do hope that the conversations continue at the table, where they should be [happening]. So hopefully aren't seeing sides discussing the merits of proposals at this time," she said.

Earlier this month, the STF took issue with a move by Northern Lights School Division to circulate proposed contract terms directly to union members, which the union said was effectively circumventing the bargaining process.

"The Northern Lights School Division situation is significantly different because it wasn't fully communicated at the bargaining table," Becotte said.

The school division, which bargains separately with the STF, has not returned CTV News' request for comment.

The STF placed the division in "dispute," meaning there could be formal complaints leveled against teachers who sign a contract with the division if the two sides don't come to a resolution.