EDMONTON — As an Alberta-wide teachers strike drags into its fourth day, a labour relations expert doesn't see why the group in charge of bargaining delayed their lockout.

Earlier this week, the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association, or TEBA, notified the Alberta Teachers' Association that a lockout would begin later Thursday.

Jason Foster, a labour relations professor at Athabasca University, said the move, which he called "unusual," effectively stops teachers from changing how they strike, taking options like rotating job action off the table.

It also means school boards would now have the option to start laying off workers, such as educational assistants and custodians, who have been working since the strike began Monday, he said.

"That would be the second major impact of this c

See Full Page