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Teachers are getting their first look at the details of a tentative agreement this week after the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and province reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.
The union is holding meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday to go through the fine print.
Federation president Samantha Becotte said the proposed contract addresses many issues around classroom complexity and compensation, which have been the main sticking points throughout the long-running dispute.
Becotte said there’s still more work to be done, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Listen to Samantha Becotte’s interview on The Evan Bray Show on Monday:
“While we’re endorsing this, I do think that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to improve the conditions in our classrooms and to ensure that students are getting the high-quality education that they deserve,” she said.
“We’re happy that we were able to get to this point where there were some good-faith negotiations that occurred, and that is what got us to our tentative agreement.”
Becotte said part of the agreement is a commitment from the provincial government to improve conditions in classrooms, and a commitment to listen to the voices of teachers, students and parents.
“There’s a mechanism within there to ensure that those voices are present within some of the decision-making processes that occur at different levels,” she explained.
Becotte noted that there are still issues that need to be addressed. She said concerns around class size and complexity won’t be solved with one contract agreement or a single provincial budget, and teachers will continue to advocate for more support in the classroom.
“It needs to be a longer, more ongoing conversation,” Becotte said.
The federation’s 13,500 members will have the final say on the agreement when they vote on it next week.
Last week, teachers voted the extend the federation’s sanctions mandate until a new contract is reached. Previous sanctions from the union have included single-day strikes, rotating strikes, the withdrawal of support for extracurriculars and noon-hour supervision, and work-to-rule measures.
Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said has said he’s hopeful the tentative agreement will lead to a new contract, providing stability for teachers, students and parents. Cockrill has also floated the possibility of extending the school year if additional class time is lost due to sanctions.