REGINA - Here is the latest on the ongoing labour dispute involving members of Saskatchewan Teachers Federation:
Teachers have given notice of more job action, with a one-day rotating withdrawal of noon-hour supervision to happen Thursday, March 14. This will impact the following local associations:
• Association locale des enseignantes et enseignants fransaskois – All schools in Conseil des écoles fransaskoise.
• Chinook Teachers’ Association – All schools in Chinook School Division.
• Holy Family Teachers’ Association – All schools in Holy Family Catholic School Division.
• North East Teachers’ Association – All schools in North East School Division.
• Prairie Spirit Teachers’ Association – All schools in Prairie Spirit School Division.
• Regina Catholic Schools Teachers’ Association – All schools in Regina Catholic Schools.
• Regina Public Schools Teachers’ Association – All schools in Regina Public Schools.
• Saskatoon Teachers’ Association – All schools in Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.
In a related story, education leaders involved in K-to-12 through to post-secondary held a media availability Monday in which they called for a more predictable and sustainable approach to funding education, stating in a news release “our education systems cannot rely on cyclical and unpredictable funding. This is detrimental to students’ individual success and the future of our province.”
Those making this call included University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association Chairperson Geraldine Balzer, University of Regina Faculty Association President Britt Hall, Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association President Bill Grosskleg, and Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation President Samantha Becotte. Balzer, Hall and Grosskleg also all voiced their support for the STF job action.
During that media availability, Becotte continued to call for classroom complexity to be included in the collective agreement. She also was critical of both the pre-budget announcement of Premier Scott Moe on education funding, as well as what Becotte described as a “backroom deal” with Saskatchewan School Boards Association on funding.
Becotte said both of these acts were “attempts to sidestep our collective bargaining process. And both of these actions do not provide the assurances that students' learning conditions and teachers' working conditions will improve.”
Becotte also was asked about an incident on Friday at the Battlefords constituency office of Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill, in which STF members and a number of supporters and members of the public staged a sit-in at that office. That sit-in was later broken up when a member of the RCMP showed up to order them to leave.
“It is unfortunate to see,” said Becotte. “The minister needs to really start listening to the concerns of the people in not just his community but the people here in Saskatchewan, who continue to say that public education is a top priority. And if he’s not going to listen, then he is going to experience more instances where people are going to take a stand, and really push to make sure that their voices are heard.”
