NDP leader Ryan Meili says the government should be ashamed of its Education Minister for statements made regarding the teachers dispute.
During question period, Gordon Wyant asked how are you supposed to negotiate a contract with people who won’t come back to the table. And, he accused Saskatchewan Teachers Federation President Patrick Maze of walking away on kids as job sanctions get set to begin Thursday. That has resulted in a cancellation of the rest of the high school basketball season along with other extra-curricular activities being postponed until further notice.
Meili says insulting comments like that are simply unacceptable. He wonders how the STF can go back to the bargaining table in the face of something like that.
Wyant says uncomplimentary comments have been going both ways which is unfortunate, but at the end of the day the cancellation of the basketball season lies at the feet of Maze and the STF. The comments came after a new offer was presented to the teachers–one that Wyant says would make them the 3rd highest paid in Canada and the highest in Western Canada.
The Teachers’ Bargaining Committee has stressed that there will be no contract talks until the government commits to adequately addressing class complexity challenges.
Last month the Conciliation Board said it agreed with the government that classroom size and composition should not be included in the contract talks.
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