The deal struck between the Alberta Teachers' Association and the provincial government on March 15 is not the best one, but it's one that area teachers can live with, said the association's local union representative.
"It's not a good deal but it's a deal that teachers can accept,î said Kevin Pizzey, president of the Chinook's Edge School Division Local #17. "We can take the three years at zero (per cent salary increase); that's fine to provide cost certainty to the government, but our big concern Ö is we need some work on the amount (of tasks) teachers are doing in class,î he said.
Pizzey said teachers are more concerned about the amount of time and the number of tasks they are doing in the classroom, such as collecting money for various items, writing specialized learning plans for students with special needs and teachers want to scale those tasks back.
"Those are some issues that we need to look at as a profession,î he said, noting a local committee will be looking at the workload problem.
Pizzey, a teacher at C.P. Blakely School in Sylvan Lake, said the stability offered by the agreement (zero per cent salary increase for three years, followed by a two per cent increase in 2015), is a positive.
"That provides stability for students and it provides stability for teachers,î he said.
The last contract expired on Aug. 31, 2012. Teachers will be ratifying the new contract in May.
While the opposition parties were happy to see an agreement reached, they were less impressed with the way the deal was concluded.
"It has been disappointing to see how the PC government has handled these ongoing negotiations, dragging the process out to the 11th hour to get a deal done. The public's confidence in this government's ability to competently manage the education system has taken a hit as a result,î said Bruce McAllister, the Wildrose party's education critic.
"If teachers do decide to accept this offer, they are making a compromise that means this PC government must make education a priority in the next three years. The cuts that we've already seen to education in this budget do nothing to seriously address class sizes, focus on learning outcomes or address issues at the classroom level,î said David Eggen, the NDP's education critic.
"Let's not forget that working conditions for teachers are learning conditions for students,î he added.
Liberal education critic Kent Hehr, however, said the tentative deal was a good first step.
"The road to this contract was often bumpy and the education minister's (Jeff Johnson) negotiation tactics were often questionable and counterproductive. However, it is important that this agreement was reached outside of legislation,î he said.
"(O)ur big concern ... is we need some work on the amount (of tasks) teachers are doing in class."Kevin Pizzey, president, ATA local
