Sask. teachers now have job action planned for all 5 school days this week
With the announcement of a one-day withdrawal of noon-hour supervision for more school divisions on Friday, Saskatchewan teachers now have job action planned for all five school days this week.
On Friday, noon-hour supervision will be pulled for the day at all schools in the Good Spirit School Division, Holy Family Catholic School Division, Horizon School Division and Conseil des ecoles fransaskoises, a news release from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) outlined.
“Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision means STF members will not be available to supervise students who are eating lunch at school or taking part in noon-hour activities,” the release said.
In a virtual meeting on Tuesday, STF president Samantha Becotte said the federation will be declining invitations from the government until the province provides their bargaining team with a renewed mandate that includes the ability to negotiate on priority items for students and teachers.
“Teachers want to be supporting their students but government’s decisions over the last decade have put students and teachers in impossible situations and teachers cannot continue to fill the gaps,” she said.
“We need meaningful, long term commitments in our collective agreement so that government can be held accountable for the funding and to ensure that the experiences of teachers and students improves in classrooms and school divisions.”
Becotte said almost 750 people joined Monday's virtual parent and caregiver information night. The meeting provided information about the status of contract negotiations and teacher job action.
"We continue to hear support from parents in taking these actions because they understand their kids are getting shortchanged in their education," she said.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Education reiterated comments made on Monday, claiming that it has moved on several items the STF asked for, including “a renewed salary mandate and workplace safety enhancements.”
"Unfortunately, the union continues to choose job action over bargaining," the statement read.
The STF and the province remain at odds over a new contract, with the federation declaring impasses in negotiations in October and February.
STF president Samantha Becotte stated last week that an increase in job action was likely if negotiations between the two sides didn’t resume.
Teachers are adamant that discussions surrounding classroom size and complexity need to be part of negotiations.
The province has taken the opposite stance and said those two issues do not belong at the bargaining table and instead, they are being addressed through funding and the announcement of pilot projects.
Teachers’ last contract expired in August, 2023. The two sides began the bargaining process in May of 2023.
On Monday, all extracurricular activities were paused for the day across the province.
The action is being followed with a one-day strike Tuesday for certain school divisions and then day-long pauses Wednesday and Thursday of noon-hour supervision and extracurricular activities at certain school divisions.
-- With files from Caitlin Brezinski
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979388.1722030190!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former U.S. president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.