(Montreal) The week promises to be tumultuous in public services in Quebec, as three strikes will take place at different times, but they will all overlap on Thursday.
First the common front, which is made up of the CSN, the APTS, the CSQ and the FTQ, and which represents 420,000 members, will get the ball rolling with its walkout which will take place on November 21, 22 and 23 . It will affect health, social services, schools and college establishments.
Then the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), which has 80,000 nurses and other healthcare professionals, will in turn walk off the job on November 23 and 24.
And from Thursday 23, it is the 66,000 teachers of the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE) who will begin an unlimited general strike.
More trading days have been added to the calendar this week; negotiation committees will therefore discuss during the strike exercise.
“We said that if there was no settlement before the 21st, we would be on strike. It is clear that there will be no settlement before the 21st. What we are saying is that we are ready to negotiate seven days a week. We want a settlement,” said François Enault, vice-president of the CSN, in an interview.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The vice-president of the CSN, François Enault
Last Friday, Prime Minister François Legault assured of his goodwill and eagerness to renew the collective agreements which concern some 600,000 state employees. “I hope that we resolve this in the coming days and that there is no strike next week,” he said.
But these three strikes will be difficult to avoid, given the meager progress at the tables.
“The government did not avoid the first short strike sequence. He did not avoid the second strike sequence. I hope he will understand that he should try to work to avoid the third sequence of strikes,” said Mr. Enault of the CSN.
Towards unlimited?
The common front strike mandate is one of unlimited general strike which would be preceded by strike sequences. The next sequence could therefore last a few more days or become unlimited.
Currently, the mandate we have, yes it could be an unlimited general strike somewhere in December, if things do not move forward. But we continue. The only thing we agree on with the government is that we want regulations for the holidays.
François Enault, vice-president of the CSN
Among other things, the common front represents the majority of primary and secondary teachers in Quebec, through the CSQ. In health establishments, he also represents beneficiary attendants through the CSN and the FTQ. And he also represents technicians and professionals in health and social services through the APTS. It also represents tens of thousands of support employees, both in the education and health sectors.
The minister asks for flexibility
In a video posted on social media, Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel called on unions for more flexibility.
She recalled that Quebec had already submitted four offers, the most recent amounting to eight billion dollars. “And I have no counter-offer, they offer me nothing in return,” she lamented, stressing that her government had agreed to “historic salary increases”.
The minister recognizes that the salary issue is “important”, but calls on union members to be more flexible in their demands.
If we only give salary increases, the daily life of the teacher who finds his class too difficult will not be changed. That of the nurse who has to work compulsory overtime at the last minute and who has to reorganize her fault and her life will not be changed.
Sonia LeBel, President of the Treasury Board, on
“We have the chance to improve working conditions and services to the population,” continued the elected official. We can’t miss our chance, we have to seize the opportunity. »
An outing that stung the unions.
“ [Quatre] proposals that are contemptuous of healthcare professionals and irresponsible for the safety of healthcare, published the FIQ on X. Ms. Lebel, it is not the number of offers that counts, but what they contain. There are limits ! »
The CSN also reacted on X, reminding the President of the Treasury Board “that in addition to “nurses, teachers and beneficiary attendants”. There are over 300 other job titles that keep public services running! »
“Proposals, signals, we gave a lot to the table. It’s not because we didn’t spread it on social media that it wasn’t done,” we added.
The Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) wanted to correct the facts put forward by Mr.me LeBel. “New union submissions were made at all sectoral tables to talk about working conditions. But the [gouvernement] doesn’t even want to discuss it…”
The branch representing Montreal, Laval and Montérégie of the Quebec Public and Parapublic Service Union, for its part, underlined that the $8 billion offered by the government “is spread over 5 years and distributed to more than 760,000 employees.” “Which represents for some an increase of a little more than $35 per week on their paycheck […] All is relative “.
The Alliance of Professors of Montreal also responded to M’s videome Lebel on X, indicating that his “requests were filed in October 2022” and since then, detailed many times.
However, she agrees that beyond salary increases, classroom conditions will have to be reviewed to attract and retain teachers.