“Interesting elements” present in an offer from the Treasury Board to FAE union members encourage the union side to develop a counter-offer, which should be tabled on Saturday.
• Read also: The FAE will submit a counter-offer, the strike continues
• Read also: “Teachers have never been so united”: teachers react to Legault’s exit
• Read also: Union members, you are hurting Papa Legault!
In unlimited general strike, the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) ensures that the counter-offer will be presented at the negotiating table.
“The members, upon reading this proposal, judged that it was interesting, that there were steps in the right direction, that we saluted the government’s efforts, but that it was not enough progress. significant to justify the lifting of the strike,” said the president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, in an interview with Hello Hello weekend.
Submitted earlier this week, the employer’s proposal contained details that merited analysis.
“The government understood that class composition was a problem […] it’s not yet perfect, we would like more automatic models so that things happen, without us having to fight, so that the classes are well balanced, without us continually needing to request services” , she adds.
Hello Hello weekend
Progress has also been reported regarding the autonomy of teaching staff during educational days.
Mme Hubert says that the new union proposal will be “based on our priorities”, similar to the one made last September.
The FAE, which brings together nine unions which notably represent more than 65,000 teachers, will have to find a way through with the government concerning “flexibility and organization of work”.
TVA NEWS/QMI AGENCY
“It will be a difficult piece, because it attacks our local agreements, and that will require a consensus which is not easy to reach quickly. We are trying to find how we could give space to these discussions,” she continues.
Negotiations surrounding local agreements may not be concluded by the holidays, suggests Mélanie Hubert.
The strike continues
There is little chance that FAE union members will return to work on Monday, despite the possible submission of the counter-offer.
“The strike will continue. If we need to meet with our authorities quickly, we will do so. We had planned to take stock with them every Thursday, but if we need to do it earlier, obviously, we will not leave people on the street. Our goal has never been to strike for as long as possible. The objective is to reach an agreement, and that is what we hope to do quickly,” she says.
Photo Agence QMI, JOEL LEMAY
In an interview with Alexandre Dubé, Mélanie Hubert confirms that François Legault’s public outing on Friday “really harmed the situation.”
The Prime Minister called on the union to end the strike “for the good of our children”.