Sask. teachers to vote on proposed contract

Saskatchewan teachers will soon be voting on a proposed collective agreement.

The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation announced late Wednesday afternoonthe government-trustee bargaining committee has presented its final offer and that offer will be put to a ratification vote.

In a news release, the government-trustee committee calls the proposed deal "a fair and reasonable settlement that will benefit teachers, families and students."

The STF says the proposed deal includes a three-per-cent raise in year one, three per cent in year two and two per cent in year three.

There will also be a retroactive pay going back to last September.

The two sides have been at loggerheads for months, and there have been weeks of job action.

That included a work-to-rule campaign that meant noon-time supervision and other extra-curricular activities were cancelled.

The two sides agreed to go back to the bargaining table on Tuesday.

One of the main sticking points has been class size and complexity. The STF wants guarantees on those issues to be put in the contract, but management says they should be dealt with by local school boards.

A news release from the STFabout the contract offer doesn't specifically mention the issue.

It says the contract offer refers to an "accountability framework" but no details are provided.

The STF, which represents some 13,000 educators, is not saying whether or not it will recommend that its members ratify the contract proposal. It says it will have more to say on Thursday morning.