After a short break, negotiations resume this Tuesday between the government and the Common Front, who failed to reach an agreement before Christmas, despite Quebec’s objective in this direction.
After several days of intensive negotiations, the parties announced on Sunday that they would suspend discussions until December 26.
However, an agreement seemed close between the unions and the government, which maintained the objective of obtaining a settlement before Christmas until the last minute.
New target: reach an agreement at the central table, where salaries are discussed, by the end of the year, failing which the Common Front threatens to launch an indefinite general strike in January.
Former union leader of the CSN, Jacques Létourneau is nevertheless optimistic that an agreement will be reached at the central table during the next week.
In recent days, several advances have been made at the so-called “sectoral” tables, where the working conditions specific to each trade are negotiated. To the point where 90% of the 420,000 Common Front workers now have in hand a “settlement hypothesis”, which their negotiators will present to their delegates once an agreement is reached at the central table.
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jacques Létourneau was union leader of the CSN from 2012 to 2021.
Honestly, I don’t see how it could not be resolved this week.
Jacques Létourneau, former union leader of the CSN
Mr. Létourneau would speak of a “failure” if an agreement was not reached before December 31.
The force of the war
If the issues surrounding working conditions, such as class composition, have received attention, the salary question remains the crux of the matter, according to Jacques Létourneau.
The government had sent a signal that it was ready to increase its most recent offer of salary increases by 12.7% in five years. The Common Front had demanded for the same period an indexation clause of 18.1% to cover the rise in the cost of living and an increase of 7% – instead of 9% – as “enrichment”. He has questioned the 7% increase since then.
Mr. Létourneau recalls that it does not only affect teachers and nurses, but “300 types of jobs in the public sector”.
The government absolutely must make salary regulations that will satisfy everyone. If these people are not satisfied, we could be in for a nasty surprise in January.
Jacques Létourneau, former union leader of the CSN
Because although an agreement in principle is reached, it is ultimately the workers who will decide at general meetings.
Blocking
Meanwhile, pressure continues to increase on the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), which did not announce any progress before discussions were adjourned on Sunday.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
On December 22, members of the Autonomous Federation of Education, which has been on an indefinite general strike for more than a month, demonstrated in the streets of Montreal.
On strike since the end of November, it has found itself in an isolated position since Friday, the largest teachers’ union, the Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ), having managed to reach an agreement with the government.
“It would have been more convenient for the FAE to come out on top and make a sectoral agreement in principle,” believes Jacques Létourneau.
According to him, the union grouping will not be able to continue on the same path for much longer. “The FAE can improve the agreement slightly, but what was negotiated by the FSE will serve as a basis,” he says.
For its part, the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), which represents 80,000 employees in the health network, announced on Sunday that “important knots” persisted at its negotiating table.
With Vincent Larin and Tommy Chouinard, The Press
Who has heard so far?
The following unions all came to “hypothetical settlements” with the government. These will be presented to their delegates once an agreement has been reached at the central table, where salary issues are still the subject of negotiations. Once ratified by the delegates, we can then speak of “agreements in principle” which will then be presented to the members for final adoption.
Education
- FSE-CSQ (Federation of Education Unions): 95,000 teachers from regions outside Greater Montreal and the National Capital
- FNEEQ-CSN (National Federation of Teachers of Quebec): 35,000 members, including the vast majority of public CEGEP teachers, but also some working in private and university establishments
- FPPE-CSQ (Federation of Education Professionals): 10,000 members spread across the majority of school service centers and school boards in Quebec
- CPC – SCFP, FTQ (College Council): employees of the college sector represented by CUPE which has 13,600 members in education
- FPSS-CSQ (Federation of school support staff): 40,000 members, exclusively support staff
- FEC-CSQ (Federation of College Education): 3,000 public CEGEP teachers
- FPPC-CSQ (Federation of professional college staff): 1,600 members of the professional staff of CEGEPs
- FPSES-CSQ (Federation of Higher Education Support Personnel): 4,301 members working in colleges, universities and organizations
- FEESP-CSN (Federation of Public Service Employees): 65,000 members of various trades, but including 35,000 support employees at primary and secondary levels and 600 at college level
- CPSS-CUPE (Provincial School Support Council), SEPB (Canadian Union of Professional and Office Employees) and UES 800 (Union of Service Employees) affiliated with the FTQ: school support staff
Health and social services
- FSSS-CSN (Federation of Health and Social Services): 120,000 nurses, members of paratechnical and office staff and technicians, among others
- APTS (Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services): 65,000 professionals and technicians in the health and social services network
- FSQ-CSQ (Quebec Health Federation): 5,000 nurses, practical nurses and respiratory therapists
- FP-CSN (Federation of Professionals): 10,000 members, including 6,000 technicians working in the health and social services network, but also 200 professionals in the college education sector
- CPAS-SCFP (Provincial Council of Social Affairs): more than 35,000 workers in the health and social services sector
- SQEES (Quebec Union of Service Employees): approximately 25,000 members working in private accommodation centers, community businesses, early childhood centers, and in school and paratransit