The union representing teachers in Alberta and the provincial government’s bargaining committee had their first meeting since the start of a provincewide strike a week ago. No specific details from the discussion were disclosed by either party as of Tuesday afternoon. The ongoing strike, now in its sixth day, has affected around 750,000 students across 2,500 schools.
Finance Minister Nate Horner mentioned last week that a new proposal was received from the Alberta Teachers’ Association, which represents approximately 51,000 teachers. Horner described the union’s proposal as intricate, indicating that both sides would reconvene after the long weekend to allow the government’s bargaining team ample time to evaluate the proposal.
Although the exact terms of the proposal have not been made public, the union has expressed the desire for the government to commit to hiring a greater number of teachers than initially pledged. The previous offer, which was overwhelmingly turned down by teachers in a recent vote, included a 12% salary increase over four years and a commitment to recruit 3,000 additional teachers to alleviate crowded classrooms.
Amanda Chapman, the education critic from the opposition NDP, emphasized the necessity for the United Conservative Party government to invest more in Alberta’s education system and put forth a revised offer to bring an end to the strike. Chapman stressed the importance of smaller class sizes and improved resources for educators, advocating for students to return to their classrooms promptly.
Additionally, the government introduced an online platform for parents to claim subsidies during the strike, offering $30 per child aged 12 and under for each missed school day to assist with childcare expenses. These payments will be retroactive and are scheduled to commence from October 31 if approved. Furthermore, the province extended its collection of online educational materials by adding a third week of lessons to support students while schools remain closed.
Various union locals in Alberta have organized rallies and walks in solidarity with teachers, including planned events in Calgary, in anticipation of the strike’s potential continuation post-meeting. An online poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute indicated that nearly 60% of surveyed Albertans expressed sympathy towards the striking teachers, with 21% supporting the government.
Support for teachers among past voters of Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP dropped to 28% according to the poll, which surveyed over 800 Albertans last week. The Canadian Research Insights Council, the professional body governing the polling industry, noted that online surveys like this one cannot be assigned a margin of error due to non-random sampling methods.