WEYBURN – Teachers began job action with a one-day province-wide strike on Tuesday, as they gathered at demonstration sites in communities across Saskatchewan, including a large number of teachers at MLA Dustin Duncan’s office in Weyburn, and they marched around the downtown area throughout the day.
“It is extremely unfortunate that government has pushed this issue to the point that it is now impacting schools,” said Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation President Samantha Becotte. “This is the very last thing any teacher wants to do. Teachers and supporters throughout the province are braving the cold today to advocate for their students and ensure they get the resources they desperately need. This government simply cannot continue to ignore these growing concerns.”
With the temperature around -27 degrees, Weyburn teachers walked over to Duncan’s office from McKenna Hall, with one teacher using a megaphone playing the Twisted Sisters song, “We’re Not Going To Take It”.
Signs included slogans saying “Our work environment is their learning environment”, “We’re out here because we don’t fit in our classrooms any more”, and “I’d rather be teaching, but someone has to stand up for all students.”
In Regina, Samantha Becotte was joined by Canadian Teachers’ Federation President Heidi Yetman to hand-deliver over 3,300 letters to the legislative offices of Premier Scott Moe and Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill. The letters were submitted from teachers and parents across the province, describing critical issues such as class size and complexity, and what the government must do to address them.
