Hundreds of protesters from the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) waited outside Maison Radio-Canada for Treasury President Sonia LeBel before she appeared on the program Tout le monde en parole on Sunday evening. Armed with trumpets, rattles and alleys, the union members loudly expressed their dissatisfaction.
The president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, indicated at a press conference to the demonstrators that she wanted to address the fundamental problems of teachers. She wants to get away from “the logic of offers and counteroffers” that she observes at the negotiating table. “We know what difficulties there are at the student union, we have something to say and we want to be able to discuss them at the negotiating table. »
Ms Hubert was called upon to comment on the possibility that the strike will last until the holidays and sent this message to parents: “We know it will be difficult, it will take some practice and agreements with your employers require, but tell yourself that the teachers who are on the street at the moment are not doing it so happily. They too can’t wait to see their children again, albeit in better conditions than what we are currently experiencing. »
What question would you have wanted to ask Sonia LeBel if she had been invited to the set of Tout le monde entalk? “If education is really a priority, Ms. LeBel, then why don’t we walk the talk?” she told Le Devoir.
The FAE continues its indefinite general strike that began on November 23rd this week and is “even more mobilized” than before, claims Mélanie Hubert. For their part, the Common Front and the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) have not yet announced the next respective strike dates.
“We don’t necessarily feel isolated [dans notre grève]“Because we can clearly see that it doesn’t work anywhere on the public network,” says Ms. Hubert, who heads the union organization that brings together around 66,500 teachers. The latter, like the FIQ and the 420,000 members represented by the Common Front consisting of CSN, CSQ, APTS and FTQ, formulate an identical observation: “We no longer have the means to offer quality services to the population. “, she emphasizes.
At the negotiating tables with Quebec on the renewal of collective agreements, everyone is encountering similar difficulties, regrets the president of the FAE. She argues that sooner or later the FIQ and the Common Front will “ask themselves the same questions and be prepared to take the same actions as us.”
The mobilization on the streets last Thursday was “extraordinary,” says Mélanie Hubert, especially because of the support of citizens. “It shook everyone up. Even the most moderate feel part of an important fight that could make a difference for the future of Quebec public schools. That’s the mindset people have right now. »
Parents should expect the strike to last all week, says Ms. Hubert. “But is an agreement possible? There is nothing impossible if you have the will to do it. We will be available every day,” she adds.
No new dates yet
According to a source familiar with the matter, the Joint Front, which met this Sunday, will not make an announcement for now, but “later this week.” Its members returned to work last Friday after being away from work for three days in a row. Depending on the strike mandate, the union alliance can set new strike days or start an indefinite strike.
The FIQ, for its part, set up pickets on Thursday and Friday last week. “We now want to give negotiations a chance for a few days,” the union organization, which brings together 80,000 auxiliary nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists, told Le Devoir.
Therefore, no new strike day has been announced “for now,” argued the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec.