The Federation of Health and Social Services, affiliated with the CSN (FSSS-CSN), has reached a “hypothetical agreement in principle” sectoral with Quebec, the union announced Saturday evening on its Facebook page.
This event occurs one day after the Federation of Education Unions (FSE), affiliated with the CSQ, as well as the Provincial Association of Teachers of Quebec (APEQ) endorsed a proposed sectoral regulation with the Legault government as part of negotiations for the renewal of collective agreements.
“The FSSS-CSN negotiating committee has reached a tentative agreement in principle with the Employer Negotiating Committee for the Health and Social Services Sector (CPNSSS) on sectoral matters affecting the working conditions of workers and workers in the health and social services network,” the union said on its Facebook page.
The organization specified that the hypothesis of agreement will be disclosed to union delegates “as quickly as possible”, at the time when a hypothesis of agreement in principle will be presented to the central negotiating table, called intersectoral.
The common front, which includes the CSN, the CSQ, the FTQ and the APTS, which represent more than 420,000 Quebec state workers in the public sectors, education, health and social services as well as in higher education, negotiates salaries at the central table.
“Despite the hypothesis of a sectoral agreement between the FSSS-CSN and the CPNSSS, the problem remains unresolved with regard to the central table issues,” affirmed the FSSS-CSN in its publication on social networks, emphasizing that “salary issues must be resolved in order to avoid an unlimited general strike by the Common Front at the start of 2024”.
Blitz in sight with the FAE
Pressure is now increasing on the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE), which is not part of the common front and whose 66,000 members have been on an indefinite general strike since November 23, without strike funds.
“We have not yet entered a “blitz”, but it is coming,” assured its president, Mélanie Hubert, in a video posted on Facebook late Friday morning.
“For the moment, we do not know the content of the agreement concluded with the FSE, but we will evaluate the impact that this agreement will have on our own negotiations. It doesn’t change our goals. […] That doesn’t take anything away from our demands,” says M.me Hubert in the video.
The FAE therefore says it is ready to engage in intensive negotiations, “but not under the conditions imposed”.
“We had 22 days of (unlimited general strike), and it is certainly not to let us dictate our conduct,” argued Mr.me Hubert.
Later Friday, in a statement, Mme Hubert affirmed that the unlimited general strike of FAE teachers “will continue after the holidays” since “the subjects imposed [par le gouvernement] did not make it possible to reach a satisfactory agreement for the moment.
“The Federation and its work teams remain available to negotiate throughout the holiday break period, if necessary,” it is emphasized.
In her video on Facebook, the president of the FAE also affirmed that it seems that the negotiations will “restart quite intensively in the coming hours”.