SASKATOON - Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation have announced job actions taking place in various locations through Thursday of this week.
Plans are for a combination of rotating strikes, withdrawals of noon-hour supervision and withdrawals of extracurriculars at various locations across the province during the week, as job actions in the ongoing labour dispute between teachers and the province now hit its seventh week.
On Monday, teachers gave notice of a withdrawal of noon-hour supervision happening on Thursday, Feb. 29. This means STF members will not be available to supervise students eating lunch at school or taking part in noon-hour activities that day. The following local associations are impacted:
• Chinook Teachers’ Association – All schools in Chinook School Division.
• Creighton Teachers’ Association – All schools in Creighton School Division.
• Lloydminster Teachers’ Association – All schools in Lloydminster Public School Division and Lloydminster Catholic School Division.
• North East Teachers’ Association – All schools in North East School Division.
• Prairie Spirit Teachers’ Association – All schools in Prairie Spirit School Division.
On the weekend, STF gave notice of a one-day withdrawal of noon-hour supervision and extracurricular activities happening on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision will impact the following local associations on Wednesday:
• Christ the Teacher Teachers’ Association – All schools in Christ the Teacher Catholic School Division.
• Île à la Crosse Teachers’ Association – All schools in Île à la Crosse School Division.
• Prairie Valley Teachers’ Association – All schools in Prairie Valley School Division.
• Regina Public Schools Teachers’ Association – All schools in Regina Public Schools.
• Sun West Teachers’ Association – All schools in Sun West School Division.
Withdrawal of extracurricular activities will involve the following local associations Wednesday:
• Île à la Crosse Teachers’ Association – All schools in Île à la Crosse School Division.
• Prairie Valley Teachers’ Association – All schools in Prairie Valley School Division.
• Good Spirit Teachers’ Association – All schools in Good Spirit School Division.
• Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre – All Sask DLC campuses.
• Tri-West Teachers’ Association – All schools in Living Sky School Division and Light of Christ Catholic School Division and Sakewew High School (North Battleford).
Job actions planned for Tuesday include a rotating strike, withdrawal of noon-hour supervision and withdrawal of extracurricular activities. Strike action will impact the following on Tuesday:
• Association des enseignantes et enseignants fransaskois – École Boréale (Ponteix).
• Chinook Teachers’ Association – All schools in Chinook School Division.
• Île à la Crosse Teachers’ Association – All schools in Île à la Crosse School Division.
• Lloydminster Teachers’ Association – All schools in Lloydminster Public School Division and Lloydminster Catholic School Division.
• North West Teachers’ Association – All schools in Northwest School Division.
• Prairie Valley Teachers’ Association – All schools in Prairie Valley School Division.
• Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre – North West Campus (Neilburg), South West Campus (Swift Current).
Withdrawal of noon-hour supervision will involve the following associations on Tuesday:
• Holy Trinity Teachers’ Association – All schools in Holy Trinity Catholic School Division.
• Horizon Teachers’ Association – All schools in Horizon School Division.
• North East Teachers’ Association – All schools in North East School Division.
• Regina Catholic Schools Teachers’ Association – All schools in Regina Catholic Schools.
• South East Cornerstone Teachers’ Association – All schools in South East Cornerstone School Division.
Withdrawal of extracurricular activities will involve the following on Tuesday:
• Creighton Teachers’ Association – All schools in Creighton School Division.
• Horizon Teachers’ Association – All schools in Horizon School Division.
• Prairie South Teachers’ Association – All schools in Prairie South School Division.
• Regina Catholic Schools Teachers’ Association – All schools in Regina Catholic Schools.
• Regina Public Schools Teachers’ Association – All schools in Regina Public Schools.
Today (Monday), teachers are staging a withdrawal of all extracurricular activities for the day provincewide. According to STF, this impacts activities such as sports, drama, music, band, science clubs, intramurals, rehearsals, student leadership activities, planning for graduation celebrations, book fairs, and other clubs and activities.
Today also sees the continuation of rotating noon-hour supervision withdrawals at following locations:
• Northern Area Teachers’ Association – All schools in Northern Lights School Division
• North West Teachers’ Association – All schools in Northwest School Division
• Prairie South Teachers’ Association – All schools in Prairie South School Division
• Saskatoon Teachers’ Association – All schools in Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools
• Tri-West Teachers’ Association – All schools in Living Sky School Division, Light of Christ Catholic School Division and Sakewew High School (North Battleford).
As well, STF has invited parents and caregivers to attend a Parent and Caregiver Information Night on Zoom starting at 7 p.m. tonight (Monday), in which STF President Samantha Becotte will provide information on the status of contract negotiations and teacher job action. Registration is available on the STF website.
Becotte provides latest update
Both sides remain at an impasse in the labour dispute, with issues of class size and complexity as well as violence in the classroom seen as stumbling blocks to getting the two sides back to the negotiating table.
Becotte held a media availability with reporters Monday morning and was asked about the STF strategy of staging rotating job actions.
“Our strategy is intended to get the government back to the table and school boards back to the table, ready to negotiate and address these issues,” said Becotte. “The issues we’re talking about with regard to class-size and class complexity aren’t isolated to a single area in the province, they are in classrooms and in schools in every area across Saskatchewan — not just urban, not just rural, not just northern, it is in every single area in Saskatchewan. And the challenges that they face are unique, and that’s why we need to have a Saskatchewan solution to these issues. But we cannot continue to ignore them. So the actions that we’ve taken are intended to get government back to the table, and get them ready to negotiate, and ready to make a commitment to improvements in classrooms all across the province.”
The legislative session is set to return next week, with a provincial budget planned in coming weeks. When the MLAs come back, Becotte is hoping to see a “commitment from this government to address the needs of students and families across this problem through public education. We have seen this government make other items significant priorities, and address them very quickly… I hope that we start to see more communication and more of a focus on public education by our elected officials in government, and to me it shouldn’t impede anything that’s happening in the negotiations process.”
Becotte acknowledged the rotating actions are impacting teachers financially. “It goes to show how government has underfunded education and the impact that even one or two days have on an individuals’ ability to maintain their quality of life.”
When asked at what point a full strike was on the table, Becotte said they are “looking at all options that are available for teachers in taking action to get government back to the table.”
She added it "shouldn't come to this point. Lokr I said, it shouldn't take this amount of pressure on government to fulfil their responsibility of ensuring kids are getting the support that they need in our classes."
