Strikes in the public sector | Resumption of negotiations between Quebec and the FAE

Negotiations resumed Tuesday between Quebec and the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), after a 24-hour break. For Sylvain Mallette, former president of the FAE from 2008 to 2022, the federation must demonstrate “calm” and “courage”, without signing a “discount” agreement.

The FAE negotiating committee “has been at work since this morning”, confirmed to The Press communications manager Marie-Josée Nantel. Union and employer spokespersons were to schedule a meeting on Tuesday.

“So, negotiations have resumed,” she added, without revealing the progress.

This restart follows a 24-hour break allowing different parties to enjoy Christmas. Even though many unions have announced that they have reached certain agreements in principle with Quebec regarding their working conditions, there remain many issues at the central table. Particularly regarding salaries and pensions.

On December 21, FAE members unanimously voted for the proposal to enter into a negotiating blitz, but on condition of being able to discuss union proposals.

“The teachers did not go on strike for 22 days to allow the conditions of an agreement to be dictated to them,” the Federation sent a message on December 22 on the social network X.

The FAE brings together nine unions representing more than 66,500 teachers, particularly preschool, primary and secondary teachers. They have been on an indefinite general strike since November 23. They can be easily recognized by their red hats on the picket lines.

Through a press release on December 22, the president of the central, Mélanie Hubert, indicated that “the government still refuses to hear several of the union proposals which would respond to the crying needs of teachers and their students, young and adults. The management side seeks to restrict the subjects to enter into a blitz. »

Just before Christmas, professors affiliated with the FAE blocked the port of Montreal. Last Friday, a citizen rally in support of teachers also took place in front of the offices of Prime Minister François Legault, on Sherbrooke Street, in Montreal.

For Sylvain Mallette, in these negotiations the FAE must be “more cunning than the fox”.

“François Legault does not want 2024 to be like 2023. He wants to turn the page, saying: I will have subdued the teachers, especially the women. So why would we give him what he wants, considering that he doesn’t want to give us what we need to do our job properly? », questions the trade unionist, now a teacher again.

The unlimited general strike, not the only means of pressure

At the time of the break in negotiations, sectoral settlement proposals had been made with nine federations of the CSQ, as well as with the eight federations of the CSN.

But union members will still have to vote in favor of the agreements.

The Federation of Education Unions (FSE), which represents 95,000 teachers in the province, is one of the federations that ratified such an agreement on December 22.

Sylvain Mallette affirms that the FSE did not recommend to its members to vote in favor of this proposal, which proves that it is “disappointing”. “I challenge the president of the FSE to recommend that members vote for the draft sectoral regulation,” he added in an interview.

This agreement also calls into question the use of the unlimited general strike as a means of pressure, according to him.

“The unlimited general strike is a form of extreme mobilization, with serious consequences,” he recalls. In his opinion, it has made it possible to achieve objectives of which its members can be proud, in particular to “unmask François Legault and Bernard Drainville”.

“But from the moment another organization signs at a discount, is this form of mobilization still the right one? We have to ask ourselves the question,” analyzes the ex-president.

The Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS) and the College Council of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, affiliated with the FTQ, have also reached hypotheses of agreement in principle at the table sectoral negotiation. These are agreements mainly concerning the flexibility of schedules, according to the different leaders of the associations.

With The Canadian Press