Many Internet users, especially teachers, shared this weekend a “guide to intellectual self-defense” that Sonia LeBel can use when commenting on the conflict between the Quebec government and public sector workers.
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This apparently appeared in a teacher group on Facebook in the last few days.
This guide consists of six elements and is intended to be a way to critique the arguments of the President of the Treasury.
flexibility
Teachers believe that when Sonia LeBel calls for more flexibility in the education network, she is referring to the contracts of precarious teachers in May. They claim that this is a clause that refers to local collective agreements.
“It’s like trying to negotiate with the federal government about something that is the province’s responsibility,” we can read.
Group formation
The Treasury Board president is on the wrong track when it comes to forming groups, several teachers believe.
“More than that, she believes the groups will be formed in May. But in reality the final evaluations will not be available until the end of June. “In May, we often don’t even know which students will go to private school, which others will be transferred and which will ultimately not move on to the next level,” the guide mentions.
Teachers say results won’t be known until August and adjustments are possible.
Employee retention
The argument is also criticized that by awarding contracts to precarious teachers it is possible to keep staff in the labor market who give up their jobs on a massive scale in the first five years.
“This effectively deprives them of their unemployment insurance income in the summer, while leaving them without a job from the end of June. “Withdrawal of income for precarious workers is not a retention measure,” argue the teachers.
Increase by 14%
The offer to increase teacher salaries by 14% is put into perspective in the “Guide to Intellectual Self-Defense”. The latter claims that teachers do not receive bonuses and are not paid for their overtime. In addition, the government’s proposed increase includes the recruitment of 4,000 classroom assistants.
“They will ask MPs if their support staff is included in their 30 per cent increase,” it said.
Better than anywhere else in the country?
Quebec teachers also appear to view the comparison between their maximum salary and that of other provinces as false, as the number of steps to reach the maximum salary is almost twice as high in Quebec.
$100,000 a year?
The publication also claims that the $100,000 salary quoted by the government does not cover inflation.
“In 5 years, teachers will be poorer on $92,027 than they are today,” it is written.
As for the “historic” increase granted in recent negotiations, it is considered insufficient, according to Sonia LeBel.
“We have to do better! If conditions don’t improve and we become poorer, I wonder how she plans to address the shortage. 50% of new teachers leave the company within the first five years. 50%!” says the “Guide to Intellectual Self-Defense”.
Finally, the publication states that negotiations could continue over the weekend.