More than 368,000 students in Quebec still have no classes scheduled for Monday: The Autonomous Education Federation (FAE) announced at a press conference on Friday evening that the strike begun last week by its 66,000 members will continue.
The president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, indicated that the trade union group had examined a proposal put forward by the government. It is an interesting proposal that makes progress that deserves attention, she argued. However, our Federal Negotiating Council did not consider this to be sufficient to lift the indefinite general strike.
However, Ms. Hubert indicated that the FAE had been working for two days to prepare a counteroffer that it wanted to bring to the negotiating table as quickly as possible.
This is not a closed counteroffer based solely on our suggestions. […] We want to give the government room for maneuver so that it can achieve its goals.
The president says she wants to use the weekend to hold intensive negotiations with Quebec if students don’t miss classes and teachers don’t have to miss out on days of pay. Still, she believes predicting a return to school next Monday would be very optimistic.
Mélanie Hubert did not comment on the exact content of the talks with the government, as the talks took place behind closed doors.
In a written statement, Treasury President Sonia LeBel expressed her disappointment while expressing her desire to continue negotiations. This is a decision that lies with the FAE and we recognize the implications for students, particularly those with special needs. “We are of course disappointed, but we are committed to signing agreements for the benefit of students and staff, so we will continue our efforts to get there as quickly as possible,” Ms LeBel said.
His office added in a statement sent to Radio-Canada that negotiations would continue around the clock to reach an agreement.
Telework and class composition
The progress in the negotiations gives hope, said Mélanie Hubert. “If constructive and serious discussions continue, one can hope that things will not continue after the holidays,” she said.
Discussions on certain points, such as the composition of classes, have progressed with Quebec, emphasized Ms. Hubert.
The FAE has also not achieved the expected benefits in terms of teleworking. Union members are calling for the ability to do more work at home, especially on education days. This is essential, according to the President, but making this concession does not appear to be easy for the government.
The union group is also calling for services to be improved, including for students with learning difficulties.
Earlier today, Quebec Premier François Legault called on union members to end this strike for the sake of our children. This is detrimental to our children’s success. “The pandemic has already happened, so we have to please stop it there,” he emphasized.
“What has hurt our students most is the last 25 years, during which learning conditions have continually deteriorated, services have collapsed and our buildings are falling into disrepair,” replied Ms Hubert, who believes the Prime Minister’s comments amount to emotional blackmail .
The FAE strike affects more than 800 primary and secondary schools in the province and more than 368,000 students.
For its part, the Common Union Front (CSN, FTQ, CSQ, APTS), which unites 420,000 workers, announced seven new days of strike between December 8th and 14th.