REGINA — Saskatchewan teachers are returning to the contract bargaining table and the end job action that had threatened to upend extracurricular activities, including graduation ceremonies.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation says it will resume talks because it has assurances the province will address issues of classroom sizes and other supports in negotiations. 

Teachers had been refusing in fits and starts for months to perform certain extracurricular duties, such as lunchroom supervision and volunteering for after-school events, to push the province to negotiate.

They ramped up that job action this week, announcing all duties, including helping with graduation ceremonies, would cease indefinitely.

The two sides are at odds over whether classroom sizes and supports should be done within or outside of collective bargaining.

The province has promised increased funding and teacher input to those issues outside of bargaining, but teachers say those promises need to be in writing in bargaining to ensure the government follows through on its promises.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press