The Alberta Teachers’ Association says the province is delaying and sabotaging the bargaining process after the government announced it has filed a complaint with the Labour Relations Board against the union representing the province’s 51,000 teachers.
Finance Minister Nate Horner said Monday the complaint is connected with a document that was distributed by the union after it set a strike date of Oct. 6. last week.
The government says the document consisted of false claims, including that Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) does not have the mandate to negotiate class complexity, class size, and supports for students.
“The information in the ATA document is inaccurate,” Horner said in a statement.
“TEBA has been left with no choice but to launch a legal challenge. The Alberta Labour Relations Board received our complaint today, asking the ATA and its president Jason Schilling to immediately retract their false claims and to stop using Alberta’s students and families for leverage in a bargaining dispute.”
Schilling called the province’s complaint frivolous.
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“The fact is that government negotiators have consistently stated in bargaining that they lack the mandate, the money and political authority to address both teachers’ concerns about classroom learning conditions and expectations for adequate compensation,” he said.
“To accuse teachers of misleading families is not only false, it is a lie that is deeply insulting to every single one of my colleagues across this province.”
The ATA’s Oct. 6 strike announcement last week came after talks between the union and the government broke down over wages and working conditions.
The government last offered a salary increase of at least 12 per cent over four years as well as a promise to hire 3,000 teachers over three years. It has also promised to invest $8.6 billion over seven years to accelerate new school builds.
Premier Danielle Smith has said the ATA has to make a stark choice between heftier pay hikes and more teachers.
Schilling said the ATA presented a counteroffer last week but the government has not responded to it.
Schilling added Smith is presenting a false choice and it is possible for teachers to have a good salary and good working conditions.
He said teachers have only seen a 5.75-per-cent salary increase over the last decade and the last government wage offer didn’t keep up with inflation.
“Teachers are looking for salary increases that keep up with current inflation and reflect the increase in workload that they have, as well as being able to have a salary that will attract and retain teachers within this province.”
He said the union last met with the province last Friday and there were no new meetings planned.
He said the complaint the province announced on Monday reflects that it is not serious about reaching an agreement.
“The government sort of indicated that they don’t want to negotiate further until the complaint has been resolved,” he said.
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