Sask. teachers to vote on potential job action, including possible strike

Saskatchewan’s teachers are inching towards the possibility of job action as the union representing them calls for a “sanctions vote.”

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) announced Thursday it would hold the vote on Feb. 10 and 11, with results announced by the end of the month.

It comes after the STF declared last week that several days of conciliation negotiations with the provincial government had failed.

An approved sanctions vote would give the STF bargaining committee authorization to declare job action. That could range from declining overtime and nixing extracurricular activities to a full-blown walkout by teachers.

The union is looking for the government to agree to provide more resources to help high-needs students while also negotiating issues of class sizes and salaries.

“Government has been unwilling to negotiate class complexity or move from its original salary offer,” STF president Patrick Maze said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring these concerns are addressed. Students and teachers deserve better.”

The two sides have been negotiating for more than nine months and have failed to come to an agreement.