A labour relations professor is criticizing the Alberta government’s threat to legislate striking teachers back to work as about 750,000 students enter a third week of cancelled classes on Monday.

Jason Foster of Athabasca University says the government’s plan could create more problems down the road.

“So instead of trying to resolve the conflict, they (could use) a get-out-of-jail-free card to just bring an end to this whole thing,” he said in a phone interview.

“Governments do this because it solves their immediate political problem. But what it does is it just creates more problems. It means that the issues and concerns of the teachers go unresolved. They feel even less respected, less heard.”

Premier Danielle Smith said last week teachers can “fully expect” to be ordered back to

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