The reality is increasingly difficult for teachers affiliated with the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE) who have been on an indefinite general strike since November 23. Talk to Claudia Bouchard, teacher and single mother, facing “tremendous stress”.
• Read also: “There will be no agreement on Monday, certainly”: the FAE does not plan a return to class at the start of next week
• Read also: “Hope… but I don’t have that much”
• Read also: FAE “sit-in” in Quebec and Montreal
While no “blitz” of negotiations is planned this weekend, the possibility of a return to class before Christmas for 40% of Quebec students is slimming down.
Convinced that the strike is necessary for the future of public schools, Claudia Bouchard, mother of three children, was nevertheless confronted with heartbreaking choices.
To deal with the inflationary crisis and loss of salary, the teacher from the greater Quebec region had to dip into the funds in her TFSA, in which she has been saving for five years.
Like many Quebecers, Mme Bouchard must now use food banks to meet the needs of her family.
In an interview with our journalist Sébastien Dubois, the striker says she is fighting for the quality of education in the years to come.
TVA News
She also shared the sacrifices that many of her colleagues have to make.
“It’s a huge stress, especially as the holidays approach, especially when you have a family to support. There is economic stress, on the other hand, there is a lot of support that I did not expect,” she says, welcoming the solidarity that takes place between her colleagues in the education sector.
“That’s what keeps us going right now. There are some who have more difficulty than others. There are some situations more difficult than others […] [,] I won’t hide the fact that I have panic attacks, because that’s relatively good, but in January, in February, what will it look like? It’s worrying.”
In a message posted on Instagram late Friday, the president of the FAE ensures that the group of unions will be “available all weekend” to negotiate.
“The management also assured us of their availability for the next two days. What remains to be done is to move the work forward, to arrange meetings to talk again when we have things to […] put in the game. Don’t worry, the negotiations continue during the weekend,” said Mélanie Hubert.
*See the explanations in the video above*
TVA News / Instagram