Bargaining committee offers teachers 7 per cent raise over three-year contract

The Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee has offered Saskatchewan teachers what it calls a “fair deal.”

According to the Ministry of Education, the committee – which includes representatives from the provincial government and Saskatchewan School Boards Association – has proposed a new collective agreement for teachers that includes a seven per cent pay bump over the term of a three-year contract.

The offer would see teachers get a three per cent raise in 2023, followed by two per cent salary hikes in each of 2024 and 2025.

The current collective agreement expires in August.

“Saskatchewan teachers earn salaries above the average for teachers in western Canada, all while maintaining very competitive benefits including pension plan contributions, medical and dental plans and sick leave provisions,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The GTBC will continue to bargain in good faith with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation to reach a fair deal that benefits teachers and students.”

Education Minister Dustin Duncan said the province recognizes the important work that teachers do and their dedication to helping students.

“Our offer ensures that wages and benefits for Saskatchewan teachers remain above the western Canadian average,” Duncan said in a statement.

Samantha Becotte, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, disagreed with the government’s assessment that Saskatchewan teachers are making more than their counterparts in nearby provinces.

“The seven per cent over three years doesn’t quite keep us in line with the Western Canadian average,” Becotte told 650 CKOM.

“We are expecting to see other provinces see increases, and we hope to see an increase that moves us ahead. Closer to that Western-Canadian average would be good.”

Becotte added that income isn’t the only issue teachers are bringing to the bargaining table.

“Salary isn’t the only factor to teachers, or people thinking about entering the profession,” Becotte said. “There are many challenges that we see in our classrooms, specifically with increasing class sizes and increasing complexity in our classrooms that we need to see addressed.”

She noted that those issues have been prevalent for the past seven years.

“Everyone across Saskatchewan deserves a high-quality education, and unfortunately chronic underfunding in education means that students just aren’t getting their needs met,” she said. “There are fewer professionals in schools that are able to support them.”

She said the negotiations are ongoing, and said her union will continue to push for a suitable deal.

“We look forward to having those conversations continue at the table for the bargaining team,” Becotte said.

–With files from 650 CKOM’s Halyna Mihalik