Released on June 5, 2024
The Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC) met with the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) today to discuss a path forward to bring negotiations to a conclusion.
The GTBC proposed that the parties could jointly request binding arbitration; however, the STF has declined.
"Government is committed to getting a deal done to provide stability and predictability for students, families and the education sector," Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. "Binding arbitration represents the best path to get that done. Our priority is to ensure that instructional time and important student activities are not affected any further."
The tentative agreement reached on May 17, 2024, was endorsed and recommended by the Teachers' Bargaining Committee and the STF Executive, and unfortunately was not ratified by the membership. As such, binding arbitration remains as the only viable option to move forward and ensure a timely resolution.
Unfortunately, the STF's leadership has refused to agree to send the collective agreement to binding arbitration, despite requesting the avenue earlier this year. Almost 20 other public bargaining tables have settled within the government wage mandate that the STF has now rejected twice. Today's refusal by the STF's senior leadership shows that they are not serious about reaching an agreement and are more interested in planning job action that will interrupt student learning and cancel important milestones in Saskatchewan students' lives.
The GTBC believes that reaching an agreement through binding arbitration will help maintain the quality of education and minimize disruptions for students. Any further sanctions at this point would be unfair to Saskatchewan students and families given the GTBC's commitment to refer this to binding arbitration.
The Government of Saskatchewan remains dedicated to supporting students, teachers and families throughout this process.
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