The Government of Saskatchewan and the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee have agreed to a tentative deal.

The proposed Provincial Collective Bargaining Agreement now has to be presented to the Saskatchewan Teacher’s Federation’s members to vote on.

Education Minister Gordon Wyant says the new deal balances respect and appreciation for the teachers with the fiscal realities of the province.

“The terms of our offer mean that Saskatchewan teachers will have stability for years to come and be paid at five per cent above the Western Canadian Average,” said Wyant.

The four-year tentative agreement includes a two per cent salary increase in the second, third, and fourth years.

The deal however does not include a system to address class size and composition issues, which was something the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation has been pushing for over the last number of months.

In a release from the federation, Patrick Maze, president of the STF, stated “while the proposed settlement does not fully address all items the TBC sought resolution on in this round of bargaining, given the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the TBC felt it was necessary for members to vote on this offer.”

Maze said they have decided to give a restructured class size and composition committee a try.

“We’ve agreed to kind of take class composition off the table and move it over to a revised class composition committee,” explained Maze during a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon.

“That will give the STF more say in the committee and be able to submit whoever we want unrestricted from the membership to that committee.”

Maze noted that the withdrawal of class size and composition from this round of bargaining does not signal a resolution or reduced importance of these issues in Saskatchewan classrooms.

He said it was important to put an offer in front of Saskatchewan teachers because one of the things people are looking for at this time of uncertainty is stability.

“There’s so much uncertainty going on that this has the ability to reduce some of that uncertainty. Having an open contract is a stress on itself,” added Maze.

“Depending on how teachers vote, this has the potential to reduce some of that stress.”

Teachers will now have the final say as the federation’s 13,500 members will have a ratification vote on the tentative offer over the next three to four weeks. It will be the first vote completed electronically in the STF’s history.

If it’s ratified, the new agreement would be effective from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2023.

(With files from Moises Canales)