The Government of Saskatchewan believes they have offered teachers a fair deal.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation announced their disappointment over the government’s refusal to address class size and classroom complexity issues during negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

However, the government disagrees with the STF.

“The Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee’s (GTBC) proposed offer of a 7 percent increase in compensation to teachers over three years is a fair deal for teachers and taxpayers,” the government said in a statement. “Teachers in Saskatchewan earn salaries above the average for teachers in western Canada while living in one of the most affordable provinces in the country.”

The GTBC is at the table to negotiate total compensation, which includes salary and benefits.

“Outside of that process, an additional $40 million was provided to school divisions to support enrolment growth and complexity of today’s classroom,” they said.” With this announcement, operating funding has grown to $2.08 billion for the 2023-24 school year, an increase of $89.4 million or 4.5% over the 2022-23 school year.”

The Teachers’ Bargaining Committee and the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee will resume negotiations on August 14 and 15 in Saskatoon.

Additional negotiations are also currently scheduled for September and October.