(Montreal) The workers of some sixty CPEs in Montreal and Laval will vote “as quickly as possible” on the agreement in principle which was reached last night regarding the renewal of the collective agreement.
Posted at 9:50 a.m.
The four days of strike which were to begin next Tuesday have already been canceled, confirmed Friday the Union of workers of the CPE of Montreal and Laval, attached to the Federation of health and social services, affiliated with the CSN.
60 early childhood centers, which manage 83 facilities in Montreal and Laval, were to be affected by a four-day strike starting May 3.
The 1,500 workers had given themselves a 10-day strike mandate to be exercised at the appropriate time.
As part of a final conciliation meeting on Thursday, which lasted several hours, an agreement in principle was finally reached at the start of the night.
In an interview on Friday, the union’s vice-president of negotiations, Nathalie Fontaine, recalled that the workers will still have to decide on this agreement in principle at a general meeting, which she hopes to hold as soon as possible. The union recommends its acceptance to its members.
The employers’ association confirmed the agreement in principle, but obviously not lightheartedly. She indicated that she wanted to “avoid the strike for the parents”, especially since there had already been other strike days last fall.
“After 18 days on strike, in addition to all the closures and challenges related to the pandemic, the parents did not deserve to be held hostage once again. We acted strictly in their interest and succeeded in convincing the union to sign a tentative agreement with us. The parents did not deserve another slap,” commented Chantal Bellavance, spokesperson for the employers’ association.
It must be said that an agreement had already been reached on the renewal of collective agreements, last December, for all the unions that represent workers in CPEs in Quebec.
However, the employers’ association concerned in Montreal and Laval did not sit at the national bargaining table. She wanted to negotiate her own collective agreement.
However, three clauses posed a particular problem, concerning guarantees regarding the length of the workweek, the role of the work team and the selection and tenure committee.
The union was asking for the status quo in this regard and it believes that it finally prevailed. However, he agreed that a committee be set up to discuss these issues and the problems that employers are experiencing in this context.