The leaders of the CSQ, the CSN, the APTS and the FTQ, representing 420,000 workers in the state of Quebec, announce the holding of three consecutive days of strikes from November 21 to 23 throughout Quebec if negotiations with the Legault government continue remain stuck.
The Common Front made the announcement early Monday morning on picket lines set up outside Montreal’s Collège Maisonneuve as part of a first day of strike action.
For a period of 72 consecutive hours, everything across Quebec will be closed for three days.
An avoidable strike, reminds the Common Front, as long as a fundamental agreement can be reached in the next two weeks.
Given the offer we received last week, a 1.3% premium after a year of negotiations, that doesn’t make sense. […] The message is that members are fed up with getting poorer. “It is not true that we will widen the wage gap even further,” said CSN vice-president François Enault.
According to him, union members in the Quebec government lag behind their counterparts in the federal and municipal sectors by about 12%.
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420,000 Quebec state workers take part in the first day of a partial strike as part of negotiations to renew collective agreements.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Gabrielle Proulx
Schools, CEGEPs, hospitals and social services
Since midnight, dozens of schools, CEGEPs, health and social facilities have been disrupted by a half-day strike ordered by the unions, which recently passed a strike mandate that was approved by 95%.
In primary and secondary schools the strike will take place from midnight to 10:30 this morning, while in CEGEPs the work stoppage will last until noon.
In healthcare facilities, the form of the strike depends on the facilities and care units as essential services need to be maintained.
In the area of mental health and child protection, services are maintained at 70 to 85%; in laboratories, medical imaging and technical platforms, 80% of services are maintained; In the areas of nutrition, rehabilitation and mental health services in general, 70% of services must be maintained.
The Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), which represents 80,000 nurses and other health professionals, is not striking today, nor is the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), which represents 65,000 primary and secondary teachers.
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There are several strike days on the union’s agenda in November.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Strikes by nurses at FIQ are planned for November 8th and 9th, while FAE teachers are promising an indefinite general strike from November 23rd if no significant progress is made at the negotiating table.
On Oct. 29, union members rejected an offer from the Treasury Department that offered them a salary increase of 9% to 10.3% over five years in a lump sum of $1,000.
An offer that the Legault government estimates at eight billion dollars for the 650,000 civil servants.
Citizens must get value for money, answers Quebec
In Quebec, the president of the Ministry of Finance, Sonia LeBel, declared in her account public funds that we invest in it.
The Minister recognizes that public servants must benefit from good working conditions and urges unions to work with the government to improve work organization in our networks so that citizens also emerge as winners from these negotiations and have access to services that they deserve.
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Treasury President Sonia LeBel presented a new salary offer to public sector union members on October 29.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Sylvain Roy Roussel
The pressure tactics of the unions belong to them. However, if you are dissatisfied with our 4th offer, you must submit a constructive, formal counteroffer. A negotiation cannot be one-sided.
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Variable support from parents
It goes without saying that these strikes are causing headaches for many parents who have to leave their children at home or find a babysitter at short notice.
For Sylvain Martel, spokesman for the Regroupement des Committees de Parents Nationaux du Québec, which represents the parents of more than 200,000 students in Quebec, the reaction to this strike has been mixed.
While some parents fully support the union members’ approach, others have greater reservations, particularly because of the inconvenience these strike days bring. Furthermore, these strikes are taking place in the middle of a school strike in several Montreal neighborhoods, particularly Saguenay.
It is variable because every family situation is different, he explained on ICI RDI. I am thinking in particular of families who have children with disabilities or difficulties. It’s very, very difficult to arrange transportation or child care when you can’t take time off from work.
When we work at a grocery store for minimum wage and can’t telecommute, it’s very difficult to advocate for a cause that might cause us to miss days of work.
It is certain that there are other families for whom it is more flexible, adds Mr. Martel.