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Quebec will be hit by another wave of strikes, as a seven-day strike by public sector workers begins on Friday.
The Common Front, which includes four major unions representing a “common front” of about 420,000 members, is moving forward with the plan as contract negotiations drag on.
Hundreds of thousands of employees in the health, education and social services sectors will be out of work from December 8 to 14. The latest strike will overlap with other strikes by teachers and nurses.
After the latest offer was rejected on Wednesday, Prime Minister François Legault said the government is “very open” to negotiating wage increases but still wants more flexibility from unions in other hotspots.
Here is what you need to know.
Who is on strike?
Rotating strikes are ongoing as the provincial government negotiates collective agreements with separate unions representing some 600,000 public sector employees.
The Common Front represents some 100,000 teachers. This means that many public schools, including the Montreal English School Board and the Lester B. Pearson School Board, will be closed during the week-long strike.
Aside from the upcoming Common Front strike, tens of thousands of nurses will also picket next week. Essential services, such as emergency rooms, are maintained by law, but delays are expected at healthcare institutions.
The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), which represents 80,000 nurses, licensed auxiliary nurses and respiratory therapists, says its members will be off work from December 11 to 14.
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Indefinite teacher strike
The Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) represents around 65,000 primary and secondary school teachers. The FAE negotiates separately from the Common Front.
Since November 23, these teachers have been on indefinite strike. No agreement has been reached, despite talks between both parties.
As a result, many French-language schools across the province have been closed for more than two weeks due to overlapping strikes.
The FAE includes nine unions representing teachers working in several French-speaking school boards in Quebec, including Montreal, Laval and Quebec City.
Members of the FAE teachers union march to begin their unlimited strike, on Thursday, November 23, 2023 in Montreal.
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What is the latest offer?
The Quebec government presented its latest offer on Wednesday afternoon, just before a new wave of strikes.
The province said it would increase its base offer to 12.7 per cent over a five-year period. In late October he proposed a 10.3 percent wage increase.
Treasury Board Chairwoman Sonia LeBel said they are “determined to reach an agreement quickly” and called on unions to continue talks at the bargaining table.
But unions quickly criticized the new offer, with the Common Front saying the proposed pay increases do not meet inflation. The week-long strike will go ahead as planned. Meanwhile, the FAE presented its latest counteroffer to the government early Thursday morning.
On Thursday, Legault appeared willing to increase the salary offer, but said the province has failed to improve the education system over the past 10 years, largely due to the rigid nature of collective bargaining agreements.
“It is not normal that our network is managed by unions and not by managers,” he said.
— with files from Franca Mignacca of Global and The Canadian Press
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Why another, longer strike is set for 420,000 public sector workers in Quebec | Globalnews.ca