Ten days before the start of a possible indefinite general strike, the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) demonstrated Monday morning in front of the office of Prime Minister François Legault in Montreal.
Around fifty members of the FAE gathered in the city center of the metropolis to, they say, remind the Prime Minister of his promise to make education a real priority.
In a press release, the FAE also underlines the “key role” that the Prime Minister could play in the “outcome of the negotiations”.
In a press scrum during the event, the president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, indicated that the union organization wanted to remind people that there were only ten days left before reaching a satisfactory agreement.
“The sprint has begun,” she reiterated in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press. We are asking Prime Minister Legault to behave like a great head of state and honor his promise during the election campaign. […] We ask him to make all the necessary efforts to unblock things and reach a satisfactory agreement. »
FAE members are demanding annual salary increases of 4% or that keep pace with inflation, added Ms. Hubert. “Mr. Legault really likes to compare Quebec to Ontario, but we don’t even ask for that much, we simply want to reach the Canadian average,” argued the unionist.
A tightening of salary scales – from 13 to 10 – is also requested, as well as greater flexibility in teleworking during educational days.
“Teachers are demanding a better work-family balance,” said Ms. Hubert. Many people have access to teleworking, but for us it is more difficult. »
The president hopes that “political will” will be demonstrated to resolve the issue, in particular to allow teachers to carry out their planning and correction at the place and time that suits them.
Best service offering
However, specifies Mélanie Hubert, the “heart” of the negotiations lies in a sufficient offer of services to meet the needs observed in schools.
“We want the composition of the class to be more balanced, both for teachers and for students, so that services are provided to children with high needs,” she indicated.
The FAE calls, among other things, for the establishment of reception classes for immigrant students, judging that immersion is not sufficient to optimize their integration.
“Teaching French as a second language is a profession in itself,” notes Ms. Hubert. It’s a different university education and adapted programs. »
“We are demanding that school service centers put in place reception protocols that include these classes, while this is not currently the case,” she added.
Unlimited general strike
Without an agreement, the 65,000 primary and secondary teachers who are members of the FAE will launch their indefinite general strike starting November 23.
The FAE, unlike the inter-union common front and the FIQ, will immediately launch an unlimited general strike, and not one or more strike days beforehand, as is the case for the other two.
The FAE is an independent group which, through its nine unions, represents some 65,000 teachers at the primary and secondary levels.
The nine unions of the FAE are the Montreal Teachers’ Alliance, the West Montreal Teaching Union, the Pointe-de-l’île Teaching Union, the Teaching Union of the Laval region, the Basses-Laurentides Teaching Union, the Seigneuries Teaching Union, the Outaouais Teaching Union, the Haute-Yamaska Teaching Union and the Quebec region teaching union.