Teachers’ wages should be rolled back during upcoming negotiations on account of the province likely facing a $10 billion deficit, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a government watchdog group.
“We think if you were to roll back salaries 10 per cent, you could do so and still have our teachers be some of the most highly paid in the country and the most highly paid in the world,” said Paige MacPherson, Alberta director of the CTF. “You would also be reducing cost in the education budget without affecting students.”
According to MacPherson, for teachers at the top of the pay scale, rolling back wages 10 per cent would see an average salary of approximately $89,000, nearly $4,000 higher than the national average.
“We’re facing a really difficult economic situation right now. We’re very much in the red,” she said. “We need to reduce in this area. It’s about future generations. If you care about kids, you should care about government debt.
“We can’t lose sight of the bigger picture here.”
According to Mark Ramsankar, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the CTF’s position was “not a surprise.”
“This is their mandate. They tend to choose to cut pretty much any government or any public service during times such as these,” he said. “I think it’s ludicrous to suggest teachers should take a 10 per cent rollback. We’re also feeling the same economic pressure that every other Albertan is feeling right now.”
According to data from the World Economic Forum, Canadian teachers with 10 years experience earn the third highest amount per year among lower secondary schools. At approximately $85,000, teacher salaries rank below only Germany (at approximately $88,000) and Luxembourg (approximately $133,000).
“This is the real world, this is what happens in the real world,” MacPherson said. “You’re in a much better position saying you can roll back salaries rather than cutting teachers. That would actually impact students.”
However, Ramsankar said higher wages was representative of all industries in Alberta.
“If you look across all sectors, public and private Albertans are higher paid (compared to counterparts) across the country,” he said. “The issue more is on why would you be looking at teachers as the target?
“There’s no misunderstanding about the overcrowding in Alberta classrooms. To keep up with that kind of demand and meet the needs of Alberta students without keeping up with the numbers of teachers you need, it becomes a fairly substantive issue to deal with.”
Negotiations on salaries will be handled by a new organization called the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association, which will include representatives from both local school boards and the provincial government.
Among the six individuals elected to represent school boards is Rocky View Schools Board Chair Colleen Munro. Munro declined to comment, citing signed confidentiality agreements.
“We’re focused on a fair and effective bargaining process for negotiating with teachers. That’s why we adopted legislation in the fall session allowing for a two-table bargaining model,” Alberta Education Minister David Eggen said in an email to the Airdrie City View. “With government at the provincial table to negotiate salaries, we will be in a better position to meet our obligations and bargain in a manner that is fair, stable and responsible.”
