The Quebec government submitted a new regulation proposal Monday evening to the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), which has been on an indefinite general strike since November 23. The union’s executive committee indicates that it is analyzing this “verbal proposal” and will shortly convene one of its bodies to discuss the continuation of the negotiations. The Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ) affirms that a new employer offer will be submitted to it on Tuesday evening. Quebec confirms that a meeting and discussions will take place.
The President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, announced Tuesday morning the submission of a new agreement proposal to the FAE. According to his office, this proposal aims “to improve services to students, the working conditions of teachers and to respond to the priority issues raised by the FAE”.
Then going to a meeting of deputies from his parliamentary group, Mr.me LeBel confirmed the submission of the offer.
“What we put on the table, for the attention of the FAE, until late last night, was an offer to be able to reach a settlement. So currently, the FAE is studying this offer. We hope she will come back to us as soon as possible because every minute counts. »
Mme LeBel showed herself to be aware of the importance of reaching a settlement quickly.
“I always said that I wanted to settle [les ententes] before the end of the year, she said. The end of the year is approaching, so I think we need to take giant steps on both sides. »
In a press release sent on Tuesday, the FAE clarified that it was a “verbal proposal for an exploratory agreement in principle” and that a single document, of one and a half pages, accompanied it. She said she received it “very late” on Monday. The union added that the government “brushed aside” a proposal submitted earlier Monday and that it was linked to “flexibility and assignments.”
The government and the FAE do not agree on the question of teacher assignments. Quebec wants to carry out the assignment process in June, in order to avoid too many positions remaining to be filled on the eve of the start of the school year. The FAE considers that this is a “false solution” to resolve the problem of staff shortages.
Prime Minister François Legault affirmed that the government still expects to obtain more flexibility in exchange for improved salary offers.
“When we say that schedule choices should be made in May rather than August, it would be better for the children because there would be no uncertainty during the start of the school year,” he said. he said before going to question period. So I think we can agree at the national level so that this can be done everywhere in Quebec. »
The FAE maintained that the assignment process is a matter of “local agreements which are historically negotiated between each school service center and local unions.”
Discussions between Quebec and the FSE-CSQ
On its Facebook page, the FSE-CSQ announced Tuesday that it would receive a “new employer deposit this evening.” The president, Josée Scalabrini, explained in a video that her federation had just received a call “to tell us that we are changing tables to negotiate, that this very evening, we will have a new proposal”. She indicated that the 34 unions affiliated with the FSE-CSQ will be able to take note of the offer.
“If there is a development, we have always said it, we are ready,” continues Josée Scalabrini. We will be there to negotiate. If what is offered to us is not interesting, you have worked too hard to date to have an agreement in principle that is only on appearances. We are not in a negotiation of appearances. We are in a negotiation that could change your daily life. »
At Sonia LeBel’s office, it was confirmed that a meeting and discussions would take place Tuesday evening. “But we will not comment further,” said the press secretary of the President of the Treasury Board, Marylène Le Houillier.
The FSE-CSQ, which has 95,000 members, is part of the Common Front which went on strike from November 21 to 23. She announced another sequence of strike days from December 8 to 14.
The FAE, which brings together 66,500 members, has been on an indefinite general strike since November 23. More than 368,000 students are affected by this strike, according to the Ministry of Education.
With Alexandre Robillard, in Quebec