The Legault government and the Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ) are very close to an agreement. After a night of talks, a proposed sectoral regulation is on the table. This progress made things happen on the side of the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE), which proposed on Friday to enter into a blitz of negotiations.
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The FSE-CSQ, which represents 60% of teachers in Quebec, will bring together its delegates later today to vote on a draft regulation concerning working conditions.
This is the last test before having a formal agreement, and we can speak of an agreement in principle if the delegates accept this proposal.
The work of the last few hours has therefore borne fruit. Treasury Board negotiators and union representatives began a blitz of negotiations late Thursday, and discussions continued throughout the night.
An agreement with the FSE-CSQ would determine the main characteristics of the new employment contracts with all teachers, but not the question of salaries, which is the subject of discussions at the central table, where these discussions continue between the government and the Common Front.
The FAE would therefore not be able to modify the essence of the agreement, but it would still have a say on certain elements.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUÉBEC
Negotiations intensify with the FAE
Progress in discussions between the government and the FSE has shaken things up on the FAE side, which asked on Friday afternoon to enter into a negotiation blitz with the government.
“We accepted the blitz with the FAE and we immediately made our teams available,” said the office of the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel.
This request took place shortly after the broadcast of a message from the president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, who deplored the fact that the government was still seeking to “restrict the subjects” at the negotiating table.
In a press release, the union even said that the indefinite general strike would continue after the holidays.
“We are determined to reach an agreement, but it will not be at any price. We will be available throughout the holiday period if necessary to negotiate, but we will not do it at a discount,” said M.me Hubert in the video.
Remember that the 66,500 teacher members of the FAE have been on strike since November 23, while their 95,000 colleagues from the Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ) have walked off the job for 11 days since the beginning of November. , as part of the Common Front’s pressure tactics.
The pressure is on the FAE
The news of a proposed regulation for the FSE-CSQ was greeted with a sigh of relief by the Regroupement des Comités de Parents Autonomes du Québec (RCPAQ).
“This is the best news we’ve had in weeks. It’s not the government that says there is a proposal, it’s the union. We haven’t heard that since the start of the conflict, it bodes well,” said the spokesperson for the Regroupement, Sylvain Martel, on the phone.
The RCPAQ is all the more reassured that the prospect of an unlimited general strike after the holidays, brandished by the Common Front for several days, was a source of concern for many parents, while several days of classes have already been lost due to various strikes since the end of November.
“In our worst-case scenario, the strike lasted until the Christmas holidays. With an unlimited general strike after the holidays, it would be worse than our worst scenario,” breathes Mr. Martel.
“It is surprising that it is not the FAE which arrives at a semblance of resolution before the others, since it was pressing: the school has been closed for 24 days,” he adds, emphasizing that the pressure is now about this organization.