Contract talks between teachers' union and Sask. government reach an impasse

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) and the provincial government ended contract talks Tuesday without a resolution.

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) and the provincial government ended contract talks Tuesday without a resolution.

In an email to teachers, the STF said that over five days of conciliation talks, the government-trustee bargaining committee did not make headway on the major issues.

Saskatchewan teachers' contracts ended in August. In October, teachers overwhelmingly voted in favour of possible sanctions, though none have been imposed.

A written statement from the education ministry said the government-trustee bargaining committee is committed to bargaining "on items relevant to the provincial teacher collective agreement, including salary and benefits."

"Saskatchewan is a large and diverse province, and school divisions make decisions every day on how to best resource classrooms that respond to local needs," the ministry said. "The government of Saskatchewan will not bargain away the ability of locally elected school boards to continue to make those decisions."