Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 14/00) - The NWT Teachers' Association and the territorial government have agreed to return to the negotiating table in hopes of reaching a collective agreement that NWTTA members will approve.

The rotating strikes and work-to-rule will continue until the deal is ratified, according to the NWTTA.

A technical briefing on the status of negotiations was held by GNWT officials in Yellowknife on Monday morning.

During the briefing, which included pages of statistics on wages and benefits, the minister responsible for the public service, Charles Dent, admitted there has been growing confusion between the two sides as they wage a war of words through the media.

The last time they met face to face was Dec. 20. A return to the negotiating table was crucial, he said.

"I think too that one of the things we need to talk about, there seems to be some sentiment among teachers that we don't value teachers in the Northwest Territories. That's absolutely wrong," he said. "In spite of the fact that we're facing a terrific deficit this year of $34 million and a projected deficit of perhaps as much as $60 million next year, we were willing to find ways within that deficit to reallocate funds ... I think that speaks to the fact that we do value teachers."

Dent added he believes the mediated offer reached in November and the GNWT's most recent proposal of 6.25 per cent wage increases were "fair and reasonable." The NWTTA rejected both offers.

The issues of special needs and class size were addressed by the Department of Education in its strategic plan update, according to Dent. The hefty cost of dealing with these matters will be decided by the new legislative assembly, not in a collective agreement with the teachers' association, he said. However, he added that the NWTTA has been invited to take part in future discussions on the issue.

Dent said he hopes the transition to the next legislative assembly, scheduled to begin this week, will not prolong the issue. The negotiating teams should be able to continue working towards a settlement, he said.

At this point, the GNWT has not considered back-to-work legislation or extending the school year, Dent and Minister of Education Michael Miltenberger said.

Contingency plans are in place in the five regions affected by the rotating strikes.

In the Deh Cho, each school has been asked to send a letter home to inform parents when supervision is available at the school, according to Nolan Swartzentruber, director of the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education. Arrangements must also be made by parents to ensure their children arrive home safely each day.

In Fort Simpson, the only community where school bus service exists, the hours have been altered to accommodate the reduced hours that teachers are working, Swartzentruber added.

"If there's a full strike, we'll use whatever means we can to ensure parents are informed, mainly the radio," he said, adding he's requested it be handled like a school day cancelled due to inclement weather.