The agreement in principle concluded between the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) and Quebec is already not unanimous: an assembly of delegates from a Montreal teachers’ union decided not to recommend its adoption to members who will decide in the coming days on this subject.
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This decision, first reported by TVA Nouvelles on Friday, comes as the vast majority of teachers who are members of the FAE have not yet become aware of the content of this agreement concluded at the end of December with the Legault government, after five weeks of strike.
Only union delegates in three of the nine local unions affiliated with the FAE were entitled to a presentation of this content this week. Other similar assemblies are planned in the coming days in other organizations.
At the Pointe-de-l’Île Teaching Union in Montreal, delegates decided not to recommend the adoption of this agreement to their members who will vote at the general assembly next week.
At the West Montreal Education Union, delegates, however, gave their approval to the proposed regulation, instead recommending that members ratify it.
At the Alliance of Professors of Montreal, the content was presented to the delegates without a vote being held since the rules in place do not provide for the delegates to formally decide on an agreement in principle before a meeting is held. general assembly, unlike other local unions.
Final verdict on February 7
Meeting in the Federal Negotiating Council on December 28, representatives of the Autonomous Education Federation decided to recommend the adoption of this agreement in principle to their 66,500 members.
Ultimately, it is they who will seal the fate of this proposed regulation through votes which will take place in the general assemblies organized by the nine local unions over the next two weeks.
The FAE will announce the decision of its members on February 7. For the agreement in principle to be accepted, at least 50% of local unions, which represent more than 50% of the total number of members, must approve it.
Teachers who are eager to know
At the end of December, the FAE informed its members that the content of the agreement in principle will be revealed behind closed doors, during local general meetings.
This decision, however, aroused several criticisms from the ranks of teachers who lobbied for the information to be communicated more quickly, in order to have more time to read it and think about it before the vote. Petitions from teachers have even circulated on this subject on social networks.
Some local unions have finally decided that the content of this agreement will be transmitted to teachers a little before the general meetings are held rather than immediately.