EDMONTON — The union representing Alberta’s 51,000 teachers says they are planning to walk off the job starting Oct. 6.

Jason Schilling, head of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, says members are losing patience and the government must solve the labour dispute or face a providewide strike.

The move comes more than a week after talks broke down between the union and the province, with the main issues being wages and working conditions.

Finance Minister Nate Horner says the government is offering wage hikes of 12 per cent over four years with a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers.

Schilling has said teachers have only seen a 5.75 per cent salary increase over the past decade and that doesn’t even keep up with inflation.

The union has long pointed to national statistics that indicate Alberta’s per-student funding is among the lowest in the country.

More coming.

The Canadian Press