Message from ATA President Carol Henderson
The Alberta government has requested that the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Alberta School Boards Association enter into tripartite discussions concerning the future of collective agreements.
The discussions were initiated largely because the government believes that its fiscal resources are strained. The discussions themselves have focused on maintaining education programs and staffing, preserving labour peace and supporting transformative change in education. A particular goal of the Association in these discussions is to seek ways to improve teaching and learning conditions and the professional role of teachers in accordance with our policy and the priorities that have been expressed by our members. Teachers’ interests are well represented at the table as Association staff are looking for solutions that are in the interests of both teachers and students.
I want to stress that the discussions have been very respectful. The Association has been assured that government and school boards intend to honour the terms of the agreements currently in place until August 31, 2012. The only way this agreement could be reopened is if all three parties were to agree to do so.
Until we receive a concrete reopening proposal from the government, the Association will not adopt a position on any of the concepts under discussion.
If and when such a proposal is brought forward by government, it will be subject to review by your elected representatives on Provincial Executive Council and then, at their discretion, advanced to local bargaining units for consideration.
Should a proposal reach that stage, you can be sure that our members will be provided with comprehensive and objective information about its pros and cons, and an opportunity to vote to accept or reject it. Based upon our experience in 2007/08, we would expect that before any new provincial framework could be implemented, the approval of every school board and every bargaining unit would be required.
We are attempting to keep members apprised of the situation while respecting the process in place. Your elected representatives, both provincially and locally, attended meetings the weekend of January 15 and carefully examined and considered the concepts that we have shared with you. Their questions and comments covered every conceivable concern for teachers and those concerns will become a vital part all future discussions. For accurate, timely and reliable information, I encourage teachers to visit the Association website frequently.
