Saskatchewan teachers plan to hold another one-day strike in protest of the current bargaining situation with the province, six days after they braved the cold and held their first one-day walkout.
Samantha Becotte, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF), announced on Jan. 18 that the second one-day strike would occur on Monday, Jan. 22. She noted that despite solidary from across the province and “overwhelming public support,” the province is not listening and allegedly refuses to engage in meaningful conversation.
“The day after our first strike action, rather than acknowledging the outstanding efforts of teachers, the Minister (of Education) attempted to make it all about salary demands. If he had been paying attention, he’d know our job action was about so much more than that,” she said.
“We’re seeking long-term commitments from government on critical issues impacting students, including class size and complexity — not patchwork pilot projects that don’t fix the systemic issues in our schools.”
The STF presented new data from the Ministry of Education that showed enrolment growth provincewide of 5,658 students — or three per cent — from 2022-23 to 2023-24. Furthermore, the data shows nearly 75 per cent of school divisions experienced an increase in enrolment.
The STF also provided data showing teaching staff numbers declined from 2021-22 to 2022-23. That data suggests the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions for all teaching staff declined by 1.2 per cent or 145 FTEs, while actual classroom teacher positions declined by 0.7 per cent or 66 actual positions.
“Our government’s own data shows ballooning enrolment in the majority of our school divisions, but teachers and other critical resources aren’t keeping pace with this growth,” said Becotte.
“The math is simple: More students with fewer teachers means class sizes are growing. Students are facing long wait times for special supports such as psychologists and speech-language pathologists. Others are simply falling through the cracks despite the best efforts of teachers and school staff. There is simply not enough support.”
The STF said since announcing its first round of sanctions on Jan. 11, there have allegedly been more than 16,000 calls and emails sent to the premier and education minister through the union’s “Tell Them Tuesday” advocacy tools.
“The support from parents, businesses and students has been overwhelming. I urge everyone to contact their MLA on Tell Them Tuesday and ask them to get back to the table and address class size and composition with teachers,” Becotte said.
“This is not a novel idea; other provinces have taken this approach,” she added. “If government continues down this path, student learning outcomes will suffer. Saskatchewan students deserve better than this.”
Provincial response
In an email to the Express, the ministry said the provincial government is disappointed with the STF’s most recent job action announcement.
The government’s bargaining team has put forward a fair deal with a seven-per-cent raise over three years, ensuring that teachers remain paid above the Western Canada average, the email said. Furthermore, the bargaining team remains at the table willing to discuss competitive salary and benefits but would not negotiate without the union present.
“Outside of the collective bargaining process, we have said we are actively working to address concerns around class size and complexity and we are doing exactly what we said we would with a $53.1 million investment towards enrolment and complexity, a teacher-led innovation and support fund, and specialized support classroom pilot projects,” the email continued.
“As indicated by Deputy Premier and Minster of Finance, Donna Harpauer, there are 21 tables actively negotiating and it is our hope that the STF will come back to the table and be one of them.”
School divisions respond
Holy Trinity Catholic School Division has responded to the forthcoming one-day teachers’ strike by sending out a letter to families and staff.
It says that since STF members are withdrawing all professional and voluntary services that day, all Catholic schools will be closed, all transportation will be cancelled, all extracurricular events will be cancelled and parents don’t need to report student absences.
“I wish to assure you the safety of our students remains our top priority in our contingency planning. We are fully committed to keeping you informed,” said Ward Strueby, director of education. “You can expect timely and clear communication shared via our website and email. Our goal is to ensure that you have the information you require when you need it.
“We thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work to minimize the impact of job action on our students and school communities,” he added.
Prairie South School Division also sent families a letter saying schools would be closed and parents should keep their children home. Furthermore, all school-related activities for that day will be cancelled, while school and activities will resume on Tuesday, Jan 23.
“We understand that closing schools causes a significant disruption to our students and families. We thank you for your continued understanding and support as we work to minimize the impact of strike action on our students and school communities,” said Ryan Boughen, director of education.
