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Hours after the Arbitration Board issued their report on the new collective bargaining agreement between the provincial government and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, the President of the STF held a media availability to address what she called an historic decision by the board.
“For 10 years, teachers have brought forward proposals to address the challenges that they experience in schools and classrooms, and throughout those 10 years the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee have refused to engage in the process as it was argued that items related to classroom complexity for provincial negotiations,” said Samantha Becotte to start the availability. “We now have a clear direction from our panel that classroom complexity not only can be within the scope of provincial bargaining, but it will be with the scope of our provincial collective agreement.”
The decision stated that the issue of class complexity will be in the agreement. However, the language that will be used has yet to be determined, and that will need to be decided between the bargaining committees. If the two parties are unable to come to an agreement, then it will be back before the arbitration board for a final decision.
The arbitration, which is binding, was for the final two sticking points of a new collective agreement. In addition to the classroom complexity issue, wages were also decided on. The Arbitration Board awarded the STF a nine per cent increase over three years, with retroactive increases for 2023 and 2024, and another increase that takes effect this year.
The agreement does go until August 31, 2026, which means the next round of negotiations between the two sides will be starting up again in the near future.
“It is unfortunate that we have just one year left remaining of this contract,” said Becotte. “It would have been nice if the negotiations process had been resolved a little bit earlier. At the same time, the article around classroom complexity provides us a clear direction that it can be negotiated.”
The article of the contract concerning class complexity from the Arbitration board does have language about additional teachers within schools that will provide support, as well as the creation of a Classroom Complexity Fund that will provide some broader supports within a local context.
Prairie News Network has also reached out to Education Minister Everett Hindley concerning the decision from the Arbitration Board.