Achi news desk-
Teachers have three weeks to consider how they will vote on a proposal from the district negotiating committee. But where does the controversy lead?
The proposal on the table for a member’s vote is a three-year agreement with an eight percent salary increase.
Both the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) and the government agreed to send the deal to a teacher vote after two days of negotiations.
“We will present these facts to members and allow them to weigh the potential benefits and consequences or risks of a yes or no vote and come to an informed decision for themselves,” STF President Samantha Bekot said at a press conference Thursday.
“I certainly hope that the membership of the STF will take a serious opportunity to look at what’s on the table and make a decision about what will be best for students,” Education Minister Jeremy Cockill said after question period on Thursday.
The proposal lacks key movement on class size and complexity, although it does include a line on a memorandum of understanding that the government said would better help fund education and give teachers more say.
Charles Smith is an associate professor of political studies at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan. According to him, it makes sense for the STF to put the ‘final proposal’ to a vote, even if the result is not guaranteed.
“I think it’s a gamble, but it’s also an important part of the process to let companies have a voice,” Smith said. “Given where we are, at this point let the companies decide and then we’ll go from there.”
Smith called it a “tactical move” given how long the dispute has been going on, and with the end of the school year upon us.
“It’s possible that the government thinks that the company is tired, that the company actually supports such a deal given some of the policies that they took out of the collective bargaining framework, maybe they felt that they had reached that threshold,” Smith said. “The union may see something the other way around.”
Despite putting the possible deal up for a vote, the STF failed to tell teachers how to vote.
“the fact that [the STF] does not approve or support this agreement as far as the membership vote goes tells me they are not happy,” Smith said.
“It is unfortunate that we are bringing a final proposal, not a true tentative agreement in good faith where both parties have agreed to the items inside,” Bakot said. “After two days of seeing little movement, we felt it was time to accept their final proposal and ask members to look at it and provide their voice in the process.”
“If it is not approved, there is the potential for further action,” Bakot added.
Smith said lingering issues around class size and complexity will still await the next round of bargaining, even if teachers vote in favor.
“Assuming it goes through, it’s a three-year contract, which means they’ll be back at the bargaining table sooner rather than later and these issues aren’t going to go away,” Smith said. “In fact, they may even be more complex.”
Smith said there are three possible scenarios from the vote: a resounding yes, a result Smith said would be a surprise, a resounding no, or a closer vote split.
“It leaves a lot of open questions if we don’t see those numbers,” “At the end of the day, I think what people want is to get back to a classroom without disruption where it’s properly funded and recognized as a classroom that’s more complex today than it’s ever been. I’m not sure we’ll get there in the vote in May”.
“I think it’s the best the union thought it could get, at this point,” Smith added.
Another lingering element outside the teacher vote is the lack of trust between the STF and the government, something Smith is starting with a controversial provincial campaign that made headlines in the summer of 2023.
“It indicated that there was a poison pill in the negotiations at the very beginning, and it just went downhill from there,” Smith said. “All the bad blood created, assuming the government is re-elected, it’s going to be similar players at the table dealing with the same issues, so we have to be aware of that.”
Cockerill said Thursday he is committed to “building relationships” in the sector with teachers, parents and others.
“Haggling is tough, there aren’t many winners when it comes to bargaining,” Cockerill said. “I don’t think anyone has lost more during this whole process than our kids in this county.”
Regardless of how the teachers vote, the dispute is likely to be a major issue during the upcoming district elections in the fall.
About 13,500 STF members will vote on the proposal on May 8 and 9.
