Saskatchewan teachers threaten job action

95 per cent of teachers say they will strike if demands aren’t met

Teachers in the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation are 95 per cent in favour of job action to support their contract demands.

Teachers could withdraw from voluntary services like extracurricular activities, as they did in 2000, or they could conduct a province-wide strike.

The job action results are from a vote teachers took on April 13.

The central issue in the dispute remains the teachers’ wages. The Saskatchewan School Boards Association and the provincial government are offering a 5.5 per cent wage increase over three years, while the union wants a 12 per cent raise over one year. The union says teachers in Saskatchewan have the lowest average salaries in the Prairie provinces.

The union has said teachers would give 48 hours’ notice before any withdrawal of services.

About 12,000 Saskatchewan teachers have been without a contract since August 31, 2010. The two parties have been bargaining for the last 11 months.

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