Saskatchewan's teachers have overwhelmingly rejected a proposed collective bargaining agreement that would have served as their contract through 2017.
On Oct. 31 the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) announced that 73 per cent of over 12,000 teachers voted against the proposal that would have seen teachers get a 5.5 per cent pay raise over four years, with additional one-time payments during the first two years.
"Teachers have spoken clearly," STF president Colin Keess said in a statement. "Their perspectives are consistent with those that we communicated at the bargaining table.
"Teachers are looking for change in relationships and supports for teaching and learning. As we met with teachers over the last few weeks, it has become clear to us that teachers are looking for evidence of the government's commitment to re-engaging with teachers."
The STF said it would address members over the next month before returning to negotiations with the province's government-trustee bargaining committee, which released a statement of its own.
"The Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee negotiated a fair, reasonable and competitive offer to the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation that, if ratified would have resulted in its members being some of the highest paid teachers in the Western provinces," said committee spokesperson Connie Bailey. "We entered into this bargaining process in good faith and we had a very strong offer on the table. This offer included both the government's and school boards' recognition of the importance of teachers and our commitment to strengthening those relationships."
Local schools were reluctant to talk, but there were some signs of discontent on social media. Kerri Archibald, a teacher at Humboldt Collegiate Institute, expressed her opposition to the proposed agreement during an exchange on Twitter on Oct. 2 with a user named Ryan Okrainetz.
"the [sic] contract is a joke! We don't even come close to getting inflation, please say you're not happy with it arch," Okrainetz said.
"of [sic] course not!! But I love how its spun in the media," Archibald replied.
The last round of contract negotiations saw schools shut down for three days in the spring of 2011. Saskatchewan teachers have now been without a contract since Aug. 31, 2013.
