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/1.6972157.1721587842!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
BREAKING NEWS Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race, endorses Kamala Harris to be Democratic nominee
U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for re-election after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about the incumbent's fitness for office with the election just four months away. It was a late-season campaign thunderstrike unlike any in American history.
What happens next: Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here's how that might work
With U.S. President Joe Biden ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.
Justin Trudeau reacts to Joe Biden announcing he won't run for re-election
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news that U.S. President Joe Biden won’t run for re-election Sunday, calling Biden a 'true friend.'
Harris, endorsed by Biden, could become first woman, second Black person to be U.S. president
Kamala Harris could become the first Black woman to head a major U.S. party presidential ticket after U.S. President Joe Biden abruptly ended his re-election bid and endorsed her.
Read Biden's full text announcing the end to his re-election campaign
U.S. President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump. He announced his decision in a letter posted on social media. Read the full text.
LCBO workers ratify tentative agreement, strike ends Monday
The union representing 10,000 workers at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has ratified a tentative agreement, which will officially end its two-week strike at 12:01 a.m. Monday.
Joy in Newfoundland after 'Lucky 7' fishers survive harrowing days lost at sea
There was a powerful word being repeated in the joyful Newfoundland community of New-Wes-Valley on Sunday: 'Miracle.'
A 12-year-old girl is accused of smothering her younger cousin over an iPhone
A 12-year-old girl in Tennessee has been charged with murder, accused of smothering her eight-year-old cousin as the younger girl slept. A relative said they had been arguing over an iPhone.
Trudeau and family head to British Columbia for vacation in unnamed location
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will head to British Columbia on Sunday, where he will be on vacation with his family until Aug. 1.