Quebec is improving its offer to educators in early childhood centers (CPE) in the hope of reaching an agreement. On the union side, the new offer does not raise enthusiasm.
The proposal provides for a salary increase of up to 20.22%. A maximum which is subject to certain conditions which are not adapted to the reality on the ground, according to the unions.
The President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, launched a “cry from the heart” to educators to ask them to accept the offer, during a press conference, Friday in Montreal. “We heard your call, but at some point I think it’s time to settle. We have to sit down and find concrete solutions. You have things on the tables that are serious at the moment and I ask you to consider them. “
The offer comes the day after Prime Minister François Legault’s commitment to create 37,000 child care spaces by 2025. Taking into account the spaces already announced, we should therefore rather speak of an announcement of 18,000 new spaces. by 2025.
Stéphanie Vachon, representative of the CPE sector at the FSSS-CSN, is disappointed with the government’s proposal. The union has yet to analyze the whole proposal, but it considers that it has several shortcomings “at first glance”.
“For all of the work, I would say no, I will not go and present it to my members, we still have a lot of work to do at the negotiation table,” she reacts in an interview.
For workers in childcare centers who are not educators, the salary increase may reach 3.3%.
The employer also provides for an hourly premium of 4% for hours worked in non-regular time slots. The government also confirms the formal withdrawal of employers’ proposals aimed at broadening the terms and conditions on compulsory overtime.
On October 14, ministers Sonia LeBel and Mathieu Lacombe announced the partial payment to educators of the salary increases offered to them last July, even if negotiations were to continue. The President of the Conseil du trésor had herself let it be known that her salary offer would eventually be improved.
It is therefore this part of the additional increase that the unions representing childcare workers expected Friday.
The workers in the CPEs have already held a few days of strike action, both those of unions affiliated with the FTQ, the CSQ and the CSN.