Another chilly day didn't stop local teachers from carrying out another one-day strike. Kindersley was the site for the Sun West Teachers’ Association.
Give-or-take 180 teachers returned to Kindersley on Monday for job action, following the initial demonstrations last Tuesday. They began forming picket lines up-and-down Main Street Kindersley asking people to, "honk for education" to the tune of "no Moe cuts." Other signs read, "Our Kids Deserve Better", and, "Fund Our Future".
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation shared this statement in an emailed release Monday morning.
"We are giving this government every opportunity to return to the table and engage with us to find solutions,” shared Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation President Samantha Becotte. “If they continue to flat-out refuse to bargain on class size and complexity, which are the learning conditions for Saskatchewan’s students, we will have no choice but to continue to exercise the only options we have left to bring them back into discussions. I strongly encourage everyone in the province to reach out to their elected officials and urge our government to send their bargaining committee back to the table and stop further disruptions to the school year.”
Referencing the thousands of messages sent to Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill, Premier Scott Moe and members of the Legislative Assembly, Becotte also shared the following.
“We clearly have the government’s attention. My question is, are they going to actually listen to what parents and teachers are telling them?” said Becotte. “The Minister wants to make this all about teacher salaries and continues to misrepresent our proposals. We have made our opening proposal package public. We have been very clear that we are ready and willing to negotiate – and that must include class size and complexity. This is about so much more than a single issue. This about ensuring our kids have access to the resources and supports they desperately need, for many years to come.”
Find a photo gallery below, and watch a video from Monday's demonstrations as teachers made their voices heard:
Thu, May 2, 9:30 AM
