Sask. teachers win fight over class complexity in binding arbitration

A person holds a sign while walking at a demonstration site during a province-wide, one-day strike organized by the members of Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation in Saskatoon, Sask., on Monday, January 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

After multiple rounds of bitter negotiations and job action that ended in binding arbitration, Saskatchewan teachers appear to have won their fight with the province over class complexity.

In a news release on Tuesday morning, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) announced the arbitration board has ruled that class complexity will be included as an article in the new collective bargaining agreement.

“The collective efforts of so many people throughout the province brought attention to the issues facing Saskatchewan students. This is a hard-won first step to ensure these critical issues will be addressed,” STF President Samantha Becotte said in the news release.

The two parties will now return to the bargaining table to agree on language for the class complexity provisions, the STF says. If they can’t agree, the matter will be settled back at the arbitration board.

CTV News has contacted the Ministry of Education for comment on the arbitrator’s decision and is waiting for a response.

The issues of class size and complexity were key points of contention throughout the extended negotiations, with the province obstinately refusing to include terms within the language of its contract with teachers.

Teachers entered binding arbitration with the province in December after teachers voted against two different tentative offers, following multiple rounds of rotating strikes and other job actions.

The STF says every teacher organization in Canada — except for Alberta and Saskatchewan — contain clauses directly addressing class size, composition, and violence-free work environments.

According to the teachers’ federation, the collective agreement will include a $20 million per year class complexity fund, in addition to all other provincial funding.

Teachers were also awarded a nine per cent salary increase over three years — four per cent retroactive to Sep. 1, 2023, three per cent retroactive to Sep. 1, 2024 and 2 per cent starting Sep. 1, 2025.