(Quebec) Teachers who are not at the top of the salary scale will receive increases of 20% to 24% in five years, according to the agreement in principle concluded between the Legault government and the affiliated Federation of Education Unions at the CSQ (FSE-CSQ).
This agreement, which The Press obtained, in fact provides for an average increase of 4% in salary levels which is added to the increase of 17.4% planned for all other state employees.
The agreement of the FSE-CSQ, which is part of the Common Front and which has 95,000 members (60% of teachers), also includes an envelope of $74 million per year to reduce the composition of the class.
Last week, it was reported that the Autonomous Teaching Federation (FAE), whose 60,000 members went on strike for 22 days, reached an agreement providing $33 million for class composition.
Salary increases
In terms of salary, for almost all levels, the FSE-CSQ agreement includes an increase greater than the 17.4% increase in five years which will apply to other state employees under the agreement reached between Quebec and the Common Front during the holidays. Only the salary at the last level, where the majority of teachers are found, will increase by 17.4%. It will thus reach $100,246 this year and $109,121 in 2026.
The entry salary into the profession for a bachelor’s degree in teaching (which corresponds to step 3) will jump 20.3%, going from approximately $53,000 currently to $60,000 this year and just over $65,000 in 2026.
TABLE PROVIDED BY THE FSE-CSQ
All other levels (always with the exception of the last) are improved even more significantly.
For example, salaries at tier 4, 5, 6 and 7 jump by 20.9%, 22.7%, 24.5% and 24.1% respectively by 2026-2027. We are talking about a little more than 23% for levels 8, 9 and 10; 21.1% for levels 11 to 15.
According to the agreement, teachers’ salary scales are increased by 4% on average, which is in addition to the 17.4% increase applicable to all state employees.
This increase of 4% on average in grades represents a recurring cost of $130 million per year, over time, for the government.
The document obtained by The Press does not specify it, but we understand that the members of the FAE will also receive these increases negotiated by the FSE-CSQ. There will not be two salary scales for teachers based on union affiliation. Remember that, in terms of salary, the FAE agreement only provides for parity and the agreement in principle of the Union Common Front, therefore the salary increase of 17.4% over five years.
Class composition
The FSE-CSQ agreement provides an envelope for issues related to the composition of the class representing a cost of $74 million per year for the government.
An additional half-time resource has been added in 5-year-old nursery school, “allocated on a decreasing basis according to the number of students per group until the sums are exhausted”. We are talking about an investment of 18.6 million.
For primary education, an envelope of 18.6 million is planned for “the opening of groups” and “the addition of teachers” under a “local mechanism for identifying difficult environments”.
In secondary school, under the same mechanism, there is “as a priority, the addition of TES hours” (special education technician), “the opening of groups, the addition of periods and the addition of teaching staff ”, and finally “the addition of other resources”. The operation will cost 24.8 million.
Various other measures worth nearly 12 million are included in the agreement in order, for example, to add respite classes or even create reception classes for students from immigrant backgrounds.
Unlike the FAE, there would be no mechanisms for FSE-CSQ members leading to compensation of up to $8,000 if the government fails to open new classes or provide additional assistance to teachers. who have many struggling students in their class.
According to the document that The Press obtained, the government obtained in return, for example, “the obligation to complete all assignment-transfer processes” of teachers “by August 8 at the latest”, therefore earlier than at present.
As in the FAE agreement, the FSE-CSQ agreement includes the addition of 4,000 class aides throughout the network, at a recurring cost of 210 million.
The agreement concluded between the government and the FSE-CSQ is starting to circulate since union meetings will soon be held to allow members to express their views.
The FSE-CSQ is the first teachers’ union to have reached an agreement in principle with Quebec, on December 22. The FAE obtained its own on December 27.