The 420,000 members of the Common Front in education, higher education at the college level, health and social services will be on strike again on November 21, 22 and 23, which brings them closer to the start of an indefinite general strike.
“If these three days of strike are not enough, we are heading towards an unlimited general strike,” warns Magali Picard, president of the Quebec Federation of Workers (FTQ). So the employer has two additional weeks ahead of him to return to the negotiating tables, make [ses] homework and come forward with serious offers.”
Spokespersons for the CSQ, the APTS, the CSN and the FTQ gathered in front of the Collège de Maisonneuve Monday morning, to mark a first day of strike in the public sector.
CEGEPs will reopen their doors at noon, while the strike will last until 10:30 a.m. in primary and secondary schools. In the health network, subject to the law on essential services, the strike lasts all day.
In the next strike sequence in November, the 420,000 union members will be on strike continuously for 72 hours, a sign that the artillery is “starting to be a little heavier”.
Quebec now offers a 10.3% increase over five years to all state employees, plus a one-time lump sum of $1,000 paid in the first year. It adds a sum equivalent to 3% reserved for government priorities such as differentiated offers. An offer considered largely insufficient by the unions.
“It’s clear that we had to raise our voices,” says Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ. Counter-proposals were made at the various negotiating tables. “Let’s come to an agreement,” he insists.
If there were an unlimited general strike, the prospect of a special law does not arouse fear among union leaders. “Are we afraid of a special law? The answer is no, assures Robert Comeau, president of the APTS. We have determined people behind us.”
Teachers from Collège de Maisonneuve met by The duty Monday morning were all very critical of Quebec’s latest offer. Many are impatiently waiting for the unions to “put in place real pressure” and want to go as far as an indefinite general strike.
“At the moment I work part-time. I am paid 15 hours a week, but I work 50 hours a week to set up classes, be there for the students, participate in departmental activities, says Sarah Thibault, professor of political science for two years. These are things that are part of the task, but are outside the classroom and are rarely considered.”
“The workload is immense when you enter the profession,” adds his colleague, Guillaume Murphy. “Precariousness can last a very long time. We have a colleague, we are going to celebrate his tenure, but he has been waiting for almost 20 years,” he adds, looking a little astonished.
For her part, the president of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, argued that “state employees must benefit from good working conditions,” but that unions must also help the government improve the organization of work. “so that citizens also emerge winners from this negotiation and have access to the services they deserve.”
With The Canadian Press