Sask. parent concerned STF 'forcing' teachers to use students as 'pawns' as strike action continues

Teachers across Saskatchewan are with‐ drawing from all extracur‐ ricular activities, starting this morning, for at least 48 hours.

That means clubs and ac‐ tivities for students, including sports, drama, music, band rehearsals, student leader‐ ship activities, science clubs, intramurals, books fairs and more, will not be offered on Tuesday and Wednesday.

This is the latest round of job action by the Saskatchewan Teachers Fed‐ eration (STF), which remains at a bargaining impasse with the Saskatchewan Party gov‐ ernment over a new contract.

Silas Dain, who has a son in a Grade 9 Saskatoon class‐ room, has expressed frustra‐ tion over rotating strikes and withdrawal of services.

"It feels like the STF keeps forcing the teachers to use these kids as hostages or pawns," Dain said during an interview Monday.

Dain said he's self-em‐ ployed, which allows him to modify his schedule to help his son when teachers have taken job action. However, he cautions that other parents aren't able to do the same.

"I just don't know how people think this is a smart thing to do to these kids and these families, and I mean, it doesn't affect us a whole lot, as I said earlier, but it's al‐ most a joke in our family now. My boy had nine days of school in January and 12 days in February. To me, that's just ludicrous," Dain said.

Dain, who was a business manager for a Saskatchewan Party candidate in the 2020 election, said he does not be‐ grudge the work of teachers in the province.

However, he does want teachers and the government to hash out a deal, and to do it quickly.

Teachers say province won't address main con‐ cerns

Teachers in the province have been without a contract since last August, and started a series of job actions in Jan‐ uary.

Teachers say the province refuses to discuss provisions to address class size and sup‐ ports for students with com‐ plex needs, while the govern‐ ment has insisted those are issues for the local school boards to deal with and says the main issue is salary in‐ creases.

The escalating job action has some Saskatchewan guardians concerned their children might miss out on opportunities. A band trip to New York City for students in North Battleford is one ex‐ ample.

Twenty-nine students from North Battleford Com‐ prehensive High School are scheduled to visit the big ap‐ ple next week.

The students, who are in Grade 8 to Grade 12, have been planning and fundrais‐ ing for the five-day long trip since last year.

"One of our big fundrais‐ ers that we were planning to do was actually coming up on Tuesday - and that's now can‐ celled," said Dominique Man‐ nix.

Mannix's daughter plays percussion in the band and her husband is serving as a chaperone for the trip.

"We can't have our fundraiser because it's being held at the school and it's considered extracurricular."

Right now, no job action is planned for the week of the trip, but that could change.

Mannix said she wants the two sides to go back to the bargaining table to help preserve the trip and deal with issues in the classroom.

She believes the STF has a point to make about class complexity.

"It doesn't matter how much money you're offered, you're still going to feel over‐ whelmed and overworked at the end of the day, unless something is done to im‐ prove your working condi‐ tions."

On Monday, Premier Scott Moe described the advocacy by teachers as "admirable," but said he wants the STF back at the bargaining table.

"I think Saskatchewan par‐ ents would ask for more of a commitment to bargaining as opposed to organizing rallies and protests that we see happening here."

Moe also hinted at up‐ coming announcements that will address the issues of class size and complexity.

STF president Samantha Becotte has said the organi‐ zation is unwilling to meet

with provincial negotiators until they are empowered to to address the two issues during negotiations.

WATCH| Former Sask. teacher says lack of sup‐ ports put student safety at risk

The organization has pointed to agreements in On‐ tario and B.C. that have lan‐ guage addressing workload and class size.

Moe and Education Minis‐ ter Jeremy Cockrill have maintained class size and complexity are an issue best left to school boards to deal with and are not something for a collective agreement.