Education minister to introduce new collective bargaining bill for teachers

Education Minister David Eggen is expected to introduce a bill Tuesday he says will strike a balance between provincial and local collective bargaining for teachers contracts. 

"It's a mechanism by which we can have some province-wide negotiations and then, of course, some local as well," Eggen said about Bill 8, the Public Education Collective Bargaining Act. 

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"Trying to strike a balance," he said. "You'll see tomorrow, I think it's quite a good piece of legislation."

Eggen said he worked on the collective bargaining framework with all 62 Alberta school boards, and the Alberta Teachers' Association.

The Alberta School Boards Association wants bargaining to occur between school boards and local teachers.

The ATA wants teachers to bargain with the province on provincial issues.

In 2013, the province reached a four-year deal with Alberta teachers days after then-education minister Jeff Johnson threatened to impose a contract.

Some school boards were unhappy they had to fund an agreement they had no part in negotiating.