The authorities of the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), meeting since Thursday to take stock of the negotiations with Quebec, should decide on Friday on the continuation of the strike. But a suspension seems unlikely, according to information obtained by The newspaper.
A new employer offer was indeed submitted on Thursday to the FAE federative negotiating council, during a meeting planned for almost a month which will end on Friday.
“Nothing leads us to believe, for the moment, in a suspension of the indefinite general strike. Despite the increased pace of discussions, we are maintaining the pressure,” we read in a message sent to members of the Quebec Region Education Union (SERQ) at the end of the day Thursday.
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The SERQ is one of the nine unions affiliated with the FAE. It was not possible to know whether a similar message had been sent to members of other FAE local unions.
Thursday morning, the president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, informed TVA Nouvelles that recent progress in negotiations with the government could possibly lead to the suspension of the indefinite general strike, if this progress is deemed “significant”.
Other options are still on the table, such as requesting the intervention of a conciliator and continuing the strike, it was indicated.
The FAE authorities, meeting since Thursday afternoon, should make their verdict public on Friday.
Its 65,500 teachers have been on the streets since November 23, which led to the closure of 40% of the province’s schools for an indefinite period, something unheard of in 40 years in Quebec.
“If we stop the strike, it is because we will judge that what we have on the table is satisfactory, and that means great progress,” said Catherine Beauvais-St-Pierre, the president of the Alliance of Teachers of Montreal, while recalling how great the needs are in public schools.
“Things are going well” with the teachers
For his part, Prime Minister François Legault was relatively optimistic Thursday, affirming that negotiations are progressing with teachers.
“I think things are going well with the teachers,” he said, while the situation is considered “more complicated” with the nurses.
The Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, for his part affirmed Thursday that he “remains hopeful” of reaching a rapid outcome, even if the signals sent by the FAE are not enough to convince him that an agreement is within reach.
Until Christmas?
The conflict, he acknowledges, could last until Christmas. “Unfortunately, it is possible that it will last so long […] What we want is for there to be a settlement as quickly as possible, for the children first and foremost, for the parents, but also for the staff who are starting to find it quite difficult. -he affirmed.
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The minister did not rule out the resumption of missed school days.
Improving working conditions, like adding services to students, is at the heart of teachers’ demands.
These teachers without strike funds have loudly expressed their “fed up” over the past few days on the picket lines, while the number of students in difficulty increases from year to year in public schools in Province.
With TVA Nouvelles and Patrick Bellerose