Alberta’s finance minister says the province will consider back-to-work legislation if teachers are still off the job when the legislature returns later this month.
Nate Horner says there still a major divide between what the union representing striking teachers is asking for and what the government is willing to spend.
The provincewide strike, affecting about 750,000 students across 2,500 schools, entered its seventh day Wednesday.
A new contract proposal from the Alberta Teachers’ Association was the subject of a bargaining meeting Tuesday, the first since its 51,000 teachers walked off the job Oct. 6.
Horner, in an interview with Corus Radio host Shaye Ganam, said the union “shot for the moon” with its latest proposal, as it would require almost $2 billion more in spending than the government had set aside for a deal.
“In that sense, I’m sure that their membership would be pleased with this ask,” Horner said Wednesday.
He also said it’s likely the government will table back-to-work legislation later this month when the legislative assembly returns.
“If this is still going when we start session on (Oct. 27), I’m assuming we will look to try to get kids back in school quickly,” he said.
“I know the parties have left it open to continue to talk, but we’re somewhat running out of time here.”
He said the government’s spending cap for a contract is $2.6 billion, which would be spread out over four years.
“I was hoping for something that was a little more reasonable in the realm that we’ve already worked on over the last year,” the minister said.
Horner said the union’s proposal boils down to a bigger salary bump than the government previously offered and action on classroom issues, including caps on class sizes.
The last offer from the government, overwhelmingly rejected in a vote by teachers late last month, included a 12 per cent pay raise over four years and a government promise to hire 3,000 more educators to address overcrowded classrooms.
Horner said the province won’t budge on salaries, saying its last offer was “extremely fair” and in line with recent contracts the province has signed with other public sector unions.
“I don’t think there’s much room there,” he said.
The union wasn’t immediately able to respond to questions about the minister’s comments.
A spokesperson for the union said no further meeting dates have been scheduled and the two sides are “considering their options.”
Horner later said in a statement that the government would like to get back to the bargaining table this week.
“The ATA and their members need to be prepared to come to a clear, concrete solution rooted in reality,” he said.
The ATA is holding a news conference at 1 p.m. MT.
