There will be a strike Monday morning in primary and secondary schools in Quebec. What time are students expected?
The strike lasts only a few hours, until 10:30 a.m. To be informed of the terms of returning to class – which differ from one place to another – you must closely follow emails from the school or the school service center. At the Montreal School Service Center (CSSDM), the largest in Quebec, for example, “classes will resume in the afternoon, according to the usual schedule. School transportation and childcare will be offered at the end of classes only.” The primary schools of the Chênes school service center, in Drummondville, will welcome primary school children from 10:40 a.m. In short, parents must really carefully read the information published by their child’s school.
Are all schools affected?
All public schools in Quebec will be affected by this first day of education strike this year, whether or not their teachers are part of the common front. For example, CSSDM teachers are not part of it, but support staff (daycare educators, secretaries, janitors, etc.), yes. The CSSDM teachers’ union (the Teachers’ Alliance) already reminded its members at the beginning of the week that “in respect of our colleagues’ right to strike, no picket line must be crossed.” This means that directly or indirectly, all public schools in Quebec will be affected on Monday, including those in English-speaking school boards.
Watch out for the little ones!
Nancy Thivierge, director of labor relations and human resources at the Fédération des centers de services scolaire du Québec, recalls the importance for staff and families alike to be fully aware of the instructions. “We have student walkers,” she reminds us, and we should not have children left in the schoolyard by parents who are unaware that there is a strike on Monday. The safety of students and staff must be the top priority, recalls Mme Thivierge.
What about CPEs and daycares?
Their staff is not part of the common front and therefore toddlers are not affected. It is the school daycare services that will be paralyzed for a few hours on Monday.
What about private schools?
They are not part of the common front either. There have been strike episodes in Regina Assumpta since the beginning of the year and additional strike days are announced there in November, but this is a local issue which has nothing to do with the strike from Monday.
How many schools are likely to be affected by the possible indefinite strike announced on November 23?
Twelve school service centers have teachers who are represented by the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE). There will be 65,000 teachers who could undertake an indefinite strike from November 23 (and who are not on strike on Monday). They work in particular in the school service centers of Montreal, Laval and La Capitale, in Quebec.
How common are these education strikes?
In 2021, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) had a five-day strike mandate in its pocket, but these five days were not all used. In 2015, the common front went on strike for two days. A major strike of more than two consecutive days like the one announced by the FAE if it does not reach an agreement with the government by November 23 goes back around fifty years.
What can CEGEP and university students expect?
The strike will affect all public CEGEPs in the province until noon. Subsequently, it will be up to each establishment to establish “whether it reopens or whether it remains closed,” says François Hénault, first vice-president of the Confederation of National Unions (CSN). As with primary and secondary schools, it is therefore important to keep an eye on how different CEGEPs operate. Ahuntsic College, for example, will resume its activities in the afternoon, but classes usually starting at 12 p.m. will exceptionally begin at 12:30 p.m. The universities, for their part, will not be on strike planned for Monday and their services will not be affected.
Will care in hospitals be maintained?
In the health and social services sector, the strike will last all day, until 11:59 p.m. Monday evening. The picture is much more complex there, however, believes Mr. Hénault, due to the obligation that the common front has to “ensure the health and safety of the population”. “When it comes to direct patient care, it’s clear that strike time is greatly reduced. »Emergency and intensive care services will be provided as normal, said the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Little impact, then?
Despite this obligation, the strike should be felt in hospitals. Depending on the type of employment, it will be done at the rate of 10% to 60% of the hours normally worked. For nurses and orderlies working directly with patients, this will result in 43 minutes of strike action per shift worked. We are talking more about 4 hours 30 minutes for administrative assistants, for example. “Managerial staff will have to do their part to compensate” for hours not worked by union members, adds Mr. Hénault. Joined by The Press, the CSQ asserts in short that there will inevitably be impacts in the health network. “That’s kind of the point of a strike,” she said.
And elsewhere in the network?
Service delivery will also be slow at vaccination and sampling centers. Private clinics are not included in the demands of the common front, and no strike is planned there.