It's rare when both parties look bad in a dispute.
However, there is no arguing that either side in the ongoing battle between the Saskatchewan government and the Teachers Federation is going to come out smelling like a rose when their battle is finally settled.
For much of the past two weeks, both the province and Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation have been lobbing insults and innuendo at each other in what has become a very public battle about a new contract for our educators.
Unfortunately what they haven't been doing much of is negotiating, a fact that prompted the STF to stage a one-day walkout May 5 and a two-day strike May 25 and 26. The sides have agreed to come back to the bargaining table but the teachers will continue with job action, as they are refusing to perform any work outside of regular school hours. The STF has remained steadfast in its demand for a 16 per cent wage hike over the next three years. The province says their offer of 5.5 per cent over three years would make Saskatchewan teachers the second highest paid educators in the west, behind only Alberta.
Where all this eventually ends up is anyone's guess but it goes without saying there will be no winners when the final story is written.
The province, which is represented by the government trustee bargaining committee, has performed less than admirably in its dealings with the Teachers' Federation.
The GTBC's party line is that they have to be mindful of the provincial purse strings when making any deal and there is some validity to that statement. According to figures provided by the committee, the more than 16 per cent the STF is asking for amounts to $320 million over the course of the contract. Even in these times of prosperity for Saskatchewan that is an unmanageable figure. The government has been very vocal in expressing that fact and there is nothing wrong with that.
However, there is a problem with how they are getting that particular message across. To launch a public relations campaign that paints teachers as greedy, especially when it is being done with public money, is ridiculous. One can only wonder if the teachers would have been as eager to take job action if the government wasn't poisoning the waters with such garbage. It's also fair to wonder if the government spent more time working on a legitimate counter-offer instead of wasting time with public relations campaign, would we already have an agreement in place?
The teachers are hardly without blame though. Anyone who has even heard of collective bargaining can see what they're doing. With the end of the school year just around the corner, and a number of high profile events on the various school schedules, they are taking job action at a time when it will have the maximum impact which is completely their right.
However, much like the government, the STF has undertaken a public relations campaign to get their message across to the public. The STF has taken the stance that they are the stewards of Saskatchewan's future, or as many of the e-mails we have received note "our most precious resource." There is no debating teachers perform a valuable and, wholly underappreciated, service for our province and any assertion they are overpaid or greedy is a joke. But their arguments that this dispute is about what is best for the future of Saskatchewan's students rings awfully hollow when every action they take punishes the students more than anyone else.
There are already concerns that any future work stoppages could place the end of the school year in jeopardy. As well, we have already seen events such as the provincial track and field championship cancelled and there is word that many year-end field trips will be scrubbed because of the dispute.
This is simply collective bargaining 101 but any assertion by the STF that this fight is about the students is disingenuous and makes them look bad.
And of course, the biggest losers in this, and the one group that seems to have been forgotten no matter what anyone might tell you, are the students. They are the ones who are missing out on opportunities like field trips and other events that provide valuable experiences you simply can't get in the classroom. There is also the possibility of graduation ceremonies being scuttled should the dispute continue.
Both sides need to put aside the petty squabbling that has marred these negotiations and actually get to work on a contract. Instead of talking about doing what is best for the students, it is time someone actually steps up and proves their concerns are nothing more than lip service.
