Sask. teachers suspend all job action ahead of new round of negotiations

Saskatoon teachers strike again WATCH: As teachers in Saskatoon walked off the job as part of province-wide rotating strikes, the province said it's tabling a new offer.

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation has suspended all job action after being invited to resume negotiations by the province.

“We welcome the opportunity to return to the bargaining table to discuss teachers’ proposals and the important issues facing education in Saskatchewan,” STF President Samantha Becotte said in a news release.

“We are hopeful that the GTBC’s new mandate will allow for productive negotiations that will address the needs of students and teachers.”

Effective immediately, the federation has suspended all of its planned job action – including a provincial-wide strike scheduled for Thursday over noon hour supervision.

The STF and the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC) are scheduled to meet on Monday, Feb. 12 in Saskatoon.

Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill took to X late Thursday afternoon to announce the new mandate in an effort to get back to the bargaining table.

“We have authorized the GTBC to offer a new mandate to either negotiate an extension of the current salary offer or to negotiate a deal that would see teachers receive the same annual salary adjustments under the same salary formula that MLAs receive,” Cockrill said in the pre-recorded message.

“Those salary adjustments would be based on the cost of living, a compensation formula that includes a three per cent ceiling and a zero per cent floor depending on the consumer price index for the previous year.”

The main point of contention in negotiations is the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation’s (STF) desire to include items around classroom size and complexity in the new contract – a point the province has repeatedly labelled a non-starter – saying it will only discuss pay and benefits at the bargaining table.