(Montreal) CEGEPs will be affected by strike days in their turn following negotiations between various unions and the government.
This time, it is the members of the colleges represented by the Union of Professionals of the Government of Quebec (SPGQ) who will be on strike on November 23 and 24, unless an agreement is reached by then.
They are following in the footsteps of the 65,000 primary and secondary teachers, members of the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), who for their part will launch an indefinite general strike from November 23.
“The offers of 10.3% that we received from the government are not only insufficient, they are insulting,” declared Saturday morning the president of the SPGQ, Guillaume Bouvrette.
Staff retention is also at the heart of the dispute, according to the union.
“There is an exodus towards universities where the conditions are more attractive. This is true for researchers, but also for educational advisors and librarians,” underlines Mr. Bouvrette.
He adds that “for certain employment groups, such as psychologists and counselors, it is more interesting to turn to private practice”.
Negotiations are difficult in the education sector, while union members who are part of the common front — made up of the CSN, the CSQ, the APTS and the FTQ — also held a first day of strike on Last November 6. This common front represents 420,000 workers in the public sector, particularly in education.