There was spite and a touch of bitterness in the comments of the president of the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), Mélanie Hubert, when confirming that her union had narrowly accepted the agreement negotiated with Quebec, leaving divided, sulking, even upset members on the streets. We can understand the disappointment at the split in the members and the lack of enthusiasm surrounding the agreement in principle, but let us not forget an undeniable fact: this agreement concluded with the government did indeed follow all the rules of a proper negotiation.
For the education sector, the discussion was brought to the noise of the noise of the strike, general or occasional. School staff kept Quebec in suspense in the fall, and teachers succeeded in galvanizing the population with respect to their main demands: better working conditions, mainly focused around healthy class composition. The crescendo of hopes now crashes onto the floor of reality. In the midst of a staff shortage, while efforts to recruit new teachers are immediately weighed down by worrying retention levels, the Quebec government could not invent resources that it does not have. It’s the snake that bites its own tail.
Even if school staff rightly demanded healthier working conditions and their hopes for transformation were indeed based on lucid and fair observations, unfortunately, the means made available to Quebec to meet the needs do not exist. just not. It is difficult to find teachers to fill the current classes, and recruitment efforts are quickly destroyed by the departures of those who say after a few short years: “Basta! This is not for me! »
“We did not have the understanding that the teachers deserve,” said Mélanie Hubert, confident at the same time that she had gone to the limits of the possible to extract profits. The division of the vote shows a heartbreak, and it is certainly not a comfortable position for the union, which galvanized the audience with an indefinite general strike. Last week, the Haute-Yamaska Teachers’ Union (SEHY) voted 50.58% in favor of the agreement in principle obtained on December 28, after 22 days of strike. Of the nine local unions that are members of the FAE, five accepted the agreement in principle, and four others rejected it. Immeasurable pressure was therefore placed on the SEHY, which tipped the balance in favor of accepting the agreement, but only narrowly. None of this calls for celebration. For its part, the Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ) has not yet finished holding meetings intended to vote on the agreement. It is therefore still too early to have the complete picture in education.
But the disappointment is palpable. Teachers have the impression of having given everything to convince Quebec that their demands were worth significant gains and they are returning, heads down, to schools that will still struggle to offer essential services to students who need them — to the detriment children first, teachers and parents.
What post mortem will there be to achieve when the dust has settled? First, some unions will have to look at their democratic process and ask themselves if it is indeed best serving members and their demands. By staggering the votes of the assemblies over entire weeks, letting current events color the thinking of union members as time passes, have we given democracy the best chance to exercise? By stretching assemblies over hours to allow generous space for discussion, but by requiring voting in the early morning rather than at a later time, outside of the night, have we really allowed the best application of democracy? There is room for doubt.
For us external observers, the negotiation game seems to have unfolded according to classic rules. Public outings, submission of demands, strike votes, denunciations of slowness, picket lines, blitz of negotiations, public tugs and then withdrawal into more secret areas, outside the media’s appetites. All in all, a fairly normal path, despite the warm autumn, and which led to the adoption of the agreements in principle. The division of votes and the general climate of disappointment that seems to be emerging should not make us forget that this agreement was negotiated in due form. And what’s more, in a context of lack of resources that we knew. It won’t make teachers’ jobs any easier, but at a time when we seem to be mourning a miracle that didn’t happen, it’s an essential reminder.