Referee sought to break 'impasse' in teacher contract talks with Sask. gov't

Less than a year into contract talks with the Saskatchewan government, teachers are seeking a referee to help push negotiations out of their current "impasse."

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) announced its application to the Educational Relations Board for an arbiter on Wednesday. The group represents 13,500 teachers who have been without a new contract since last August.

• Sask. government faces opposition to wage cuts

The move comes seven months after negotiations began and amidst disagreement over the province's request that teachers along with other public-service workerstake a 3.5-per-cent wage cut.

Decision to come in 10 days

"We firmly believe a negotiated settlement is always preferable," said STF president Patrick Maze in a news release.

"However, the other side continues to call for wage rollbacks and refuses to bargain on the full range of issues important to teachers."

The federation says the board has 10 days to either grant the request or not.

"We respect the arbitration process and will not compromise this process by commenting on the proposal we have provided to the STF during the collective bargaining process," the government said in an emailed statement.