Published at 1:32 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
There will be a strike in elementary and secondary schools in Quebec on Monday morning. What time are the students expected?
The strike only lasted a few hours, until 10:30 a.m. To be informed of the conditions for returning to classes, which vary from place to place, you must carefully follow the emails from the school or school service center. At the Montreal School Service Center (CSSDM), the largest in Quebec, for example, “classes will resume in the afternoon according to the usual schedule. School transport and child care will only be provided at the end of school hours.” Chênes School Service Center primary schools in Drummondville will welcome primary school children from 10:40 a.m. In short, parents need to read the information published by their child’s school really carefully.
Are all schools affected?
All public schools in Quebec will be affected by this first day of the education strike this year, regardless of whether their teachers are part of the common front or not. CSSDM teachers, for example, are not included, but support staff (daycare teachers, secretaries, caretakers, etc.) are. The teachers’ union CSSDM (Teachers’ Alliance) reminded its members at the beginning of the week that “with regard to our colleagues’ right to strike, picket lines must not be crossed.” This means that on Monday all public schools in Quebec will be directly or indirectly affected, including those in English-language school boards.
Take care of the little ones!
Nancy Thivierge, director of labor relations and human resources at the Fédération des Centers de Services Scolaire du Québec, reminds us of the importance of employees and families alike being informed of the instructions. “We have walkers,” she reminds us, and we shouldn’t leave children in the schoolyard whose parents don’t know there’s a strike on Monday. The safety of students and staff must be the top priority, recalls Ms. Thivierge.
What about CPEs and daycare centers?
Your staff are not part of the common front and therefore small children are not affected. It is the school daycare centers that will be shut down for a few hours on Monday.
What about private schools?
They are also not part of the common front. There have been strike episodes in Regina Assumpta since the beginning of the year and additional strike days are announced there in November. However, this is a local issue that has nothing to do with Monday’s strike.
How many schools are expected to be affected by the possible indefinite strike announced on November 23rd?
Twelve school service centers have teachers represented by the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE). There will be 65,000 teachers who could go on an indefinite strike starting November 23rd (and who are not striking on Monday). They work specifically in the school service centers of Montreal, Laval and La Capitale in Quebec.
How common are these educational strikes?
In 2021, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) had a five-day strike mandate in its pocket, but not all of these five days were used. In 2015, the Joint Front went on strike for two days. A major strike of more than two consecutive days, as announced by the FAE if it does not reach an agreement with the government by November 23rd, dates back some fifty years.
What can CEGEP and university students expect?
The strike will affect all public CEGEPs in the province until noon. It is then up to each establishment to decide “whether to reopen or remain closed,” says François Hénault, first vice-president of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN). As with primary and secondary schools, it is therefore important to keep an eye on how the different CEGEPs work. Ahuntsic College, for example, will resume operations in the afternoon, but classes that normally start at 12 p.m. will exceptionally begin at 12:30 p.m. For their part, the universities will not go on strike on Monday and their services will not be affected.
Will hospital care continue?
In health and social care, the strike will last all day until Monday evening at 11:59 p.m. However, the picture is much more complex there, believes Mr. Hénault, since the common front is committed to “guaranteeing the health and safety of the population.” “When it comes to direct patient care, it is clear that the deployment time is significantly shortened. »Emergency and intensive care will be offered as usual, said the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
So hardly any impact?
Despite this commitment, the impact of the strike is likely to be felt in hospitals. Depending on the type of employment, it takes place between 10% and 60% of the hours normally worked. For nurses who work directly with patients, this means they will have to strike for 43 minutes per shift. For example, we’re talking more like 4 hours 30 minutes for administrative assistants. “Leaders must do their part to compensate for the hours not worked by union members,” adds Mr. Hénault. In short, the CSQ contacted by La Presse reiterates that there will inevitably be an impact on the health network. “That’s sort of the point of a strike,” she said.
And elsewhere on the network?
Service delivery will also be slow in the vaccination and sampling centers. Private clinics are not included in the Common Front’s demands, and no strike is planned there.