The approximately 420,000 members of the Inter-Union Common Front held a strike on Monday as part of a mobilization that could gain momentum in the coming weeks. What are the highlights to remember from this significant day in the negotiations between the public sector and the government of Quebec on the working conditions of state employees?
• Thousands of teachers and staff members affiliated with this common front made up of four union organizations took part in a strike Monday across the province alongside employees of the health and social services network. Picket lines were held in front of schools and hospitals, where workers loudly demonstrated their dissatisfaction with their pay and working conditions, supported by the horns of passing motorists.
• The strike took place from midnight to 10:30 a.m. in elementary and secondary schools, which forced the cancellation of classes and school transportation in the morning in several establishments in the province. The CEGEPs, for their part, opened their doors at noon, while in the health network, striking workers were subject to the law on essential services. All of the care offered had to be maintained in emergency rooms and intensive care.
We have a thought for the patients who may be affected by the strike. Establishments ensure that essential services are available. We all want an agreement to be reached quickly. @slebel19 has all my confidence to achieve this with the collaboration of the unions.
— Christian Dubé (@cdube_sante) November 6, 2023
• This strike could be the first of several in the coming days. The 80,000 members of the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ) will walk out on Wednesday and Thursday. The Inter-Union Common Front plans to hold a strike on November 21, 22 and 23 in order to put pressure on the Legault government.
• Quebec is proposing a salary increase of 10.3% over five years to all state employees, with a lump sum of $1,000 paid once, the first year. The unions, for their part, are demanding a salary increase of 20% over three years. The two parties are thus waging a battle of public opinion to try to rally the population to their well-established positions in the context of these negotiations.
What they said
• “If these three days of strike are not enough, we are heading towards an indefinite general strike. So the employer has two additional weeks ahead of him to return to the negotiating tables, make [ses] homework and present themselves with serious offers. » -Magali Picard, president of the Quebec Federation of Workers (FTQ)
• “A 72-hour strike in two weeks. Two weeks, two weeks to negotiate seven days a week, 24 hours a day, the teams are ready. Let’s negotiate and come to an agreement. » -Éric Gingras, president of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ)
• “The pressure tactics used by the unions belong to them. But if they are dissatisfied with our fourth offer, they must submit a constructive, formal counter-offer. A [négociation] cannot be one-way. » -Sonia LeBel, President of the Treasury Board
• “A thought for the parents and students who will see their schedules turned upside down. We all want an agreement to be reached quickly […] Unions must also take steps in our direction. » -Bernard Drainville, Minister of Education
With The Canadian Press