Sonia LeBel submitted a proposed regulation to the Autonomous Federation of Education, in order to put an end to the unlimited general strike which affects nearly 40% of schools.
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“Last night, the Quebec government submitted a proposed regulation to the FAE. We are committed to settling quickly and this proposal demonstrates that,” said the President of the Treasury Board in a written statement sent to the media Tuesday morning.
“If this is accepted, it could make it possible to concretely improve services to students, the working conditions of teachers and would respond to the priority issues raised by the FAE. We hope for positive feedback from the union shortly,” she added.
Verbal proposal
The FAE confirms having received, late last night, “a verbal proposal for an exploratory agreement in principle, with the exception of an annex of one and a half pages”.
The union claims to have submitted a few hours earlier “a proposal concerning the demands of the employer side linked to flexibility and assignments, which was brushed aside by the government”.
“Thus, since this morning, the Executive Committee of the Federation has been analyzing the government’s verbal proposal and will shortly convene the relevant union body to discuss the continuation of the negotiations, despite the absence of a complete written document,” writes the FAE in a brief press release.
Difficult negotiations
This new development comes the day after a bad day in talks between Quebec and the FAE.
On Monday, Sonia LeBel’s office criticized the union for being inflexible on its request to allow more flexibility. Quebec wants to allocate the majority of classes in the spring, rather than at the start of the school year.
The president of the FAE quickly described this exit as “harmful”.
“Hearing the statement that was made this morning, we can imagine that it will indeed be difficult to reach an agreement soon,” declared Mélanie Hubert.
If an agreement ever comes to pass this week, the parents are not out of the woods. Starting Friday, the Union Common Front, which includes CSQ teachers and support staff, will begin a new series of strikes until December 14.
The Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ) confirmed on Tuesday that it will also receive a new employer offer in the evening. However, since it is part of the Common Front for salary issues, the FSE would still be on strike as of Friday.