After the teachers of two school service centers in Quebec, it is now the turn of the teachers of the Discoverers and the Navigators, who by a very large majority are opting for a strike that could lead to an indefinite general strike.
The result of the vote was published on Monday evening: the teachers of the Deux-Rives Education Union (SEDR) voted by 94% that the strike should be “exercised in due course”, which could go as far as a strike. generally unlimited.
Its president, Martin Hogue, was surprised by this massive support. “We really feel a sense of desperation, it’s the negotiation of the negotiations. We are at a turning point,” he says.
Several members say they may turn their backs on teaching if they do not achieve a significant improvement in their working conditions in this round of negotiations, he adds.
For us, the top priority among teachers’ demands is to reduce their workload and the composition of their class. “It doesn’t make sense in elementary school, classes with 17 intervention plans for 23 students,” says Mr. Hogue.
However, teachers, hoping not to have to strike, are determined to lead this “fight” aimed at “maximizing the success of all students,” the SEDR president added.
More strike votes in Quebec
In mid-September, teachers from the Premières-Seigneuries and Capitale school service centers, represented by the Quebec Region Education Union, also called for an indefinite general strike.
The Deux-Rives Education Union teachers are affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), which is part of the Common Front, which is currently negotiating with the Legault government to renew its collective agreement.
The central union members of this Common Front are currently consulting with their members about the pressure tactics to use in this round of negotiations.
In the Quebec region, other employees of the education network have also spoken out in favor of a strike in recent days, such as the professors’ union of the Cégep de Sainte-Foy and the staff union of the First Lordships.