Saskatchewan teachers have voted against a tentative contract agreement with the provincial government that was endorsed by the executive.In voting held Wednesday and Thursday, 55% of teachers opposed the tentative Provincial Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee and Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee. Of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation's 13,500 staff, 88% of eligible voters cast a ballot.Read more: Sask teachers tentative contract agreement revealedIn a statement, STF President Samantha Becotte interpreted the vote to mean not enough was done in teachers' minds to address classroom size and complexity.“The result of this vote is a message to government and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association that teachers need to see real changes to classroom complexity and compensation. In feedback from members, we heard clearly that their priorities haven’t been adequately addressed,” said Becotte.“In the days leading up to this vote, I stressed that the fight for public education will continue, and our members will determine which forum that battle will take place in. The STF Executive and I will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to get a deal done with the support of our collective to strengthen our profession and public education for current and future students.”This is the second offer teachers have rejected. On May 8 and 9, teachers voted on a 'final offer' from government. Teachers overwhelmingly rejected the offer, with 90% of voters opposed.Read more: HARDING: Nasty scenarios would follow teacher rejection of Sask contract offerFollowing the vote in early May, the two bargaining committees resumed negotiations. As a result of the progress made over the course of five days of informal and formal negotiations, both bargaining committees announced on May 17 that a tentative agreement had been reached. This agreement, which teachers have rejected, included an additional $18 million per year towards classroom complexity and the inclusion of several references to provide greater transparency and teacher voice in the allocation of classroom support funding.“I appreciate the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee’s willingness to bargain in good faith during the meetings that led us to the tentative deal. I expect that these productive negotiations will continue, and we can return to the table to chart a path towards an agreement that will meet the needs of Saskatchewan’s students and teachers without further interruptions to the school year,” said Becotte.On Thursday, the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee extended a verbal invitation for the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee to return to the negotiating table and a formal, written invitation will be sent Friday. If the government and the SSBA decline this invitation, or talks break down, 48 hours’ notice will be given prior to the resumption of job action.On May 16, the TBC and STF Executive received a new mandate from teachers to implement sanctions as they see fit. This mandate will be in effect until an agreement is reached, which may be beyond the current school year.According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's interpretation of Statistics Canada data, the average Saskatchewan teacher made $92,500 last year.The rejected contract offered an annual pay increase of 3% for the current school year, 3% for next year, and 2% for the year following. However, correspondence between the STF and supporters by email made no mention of this as a factor in the teachers' decision.
