REGINA — Saskatchewan’s education minister says he wants to wrap up a new three-year contract with teachers by sending it to binding arbitration.

Jeremy Cockrill’s comments come a day after teachers narrowly rejected his latest offer, which included salary hikes and measures to address classroom issues.

He says binding arbitration would allow the rest of the school year and graduation ceremonies to proceed uninterrupted.

School functions and other events requiring voluntary teacher participation have been affected during the school year by teachers withdrawing support to back up their contract demands.

Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president Samantha Becotte says she’s open to binding arbitration but wants negotiations to resume before considering it.

Binding arbitration would take bargaining out of the hands of both sides and give it to a neutral third party to settle the deal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.

The Canadian Press