Montreal parents prepare for teacher strike next week, amid ongoing negotiations between public workers and Quebec

Parents will need to find alternative plans for part of next week as several schools will be closed due to thousands of teachers going on strike.

The English Montreal School Board and Lester B. Pearson School Board – and many more – have confirmed their schools will be closed three days amid ongoing public workers’ strikes in Quebec.

All elementary and high schools will be closed; adult and vocational classes will be cancelled; daycare services will not be provided.

Teachers, support staff, educators, daycare employees, cafeteria workers and others will be on strike Nov. 21 to 23.

“Right now we’re not feeling the love we’re really not. There’s $600 million to reduce the cost of driving license renewals. There’s $7 million to invite an American hockey team to Quebec for a week next year. And, we’re not even being offered salary increases that come anywhere close to meeting the projected cost of inflation. Members don’t want to go on strike. They don’t want to lose three days of salary next week and they don’t want to face the idea of a general unlimited strike,” said Lori Newton, the President of the Montreal Teachers Association.

Parents CityNews spoke to outside Bancroft Elementary School on Thursday showed their support for educators.

“I come from France. I arrived here two years ago. And, in France, we have a lot of strikes, here it’s about what, one or two weeks? So, I can tell you [the strike] can continue. We will arrange everything,” said parent Fabien Lasnaveres.

“I am disappointed about it because I don’t think it’s ever good for the children to have strike days, but I support the teachers. I’m behind them, and I wish it can be resolved speedily,” said Catherine Archibald, as she dropped-off her granddaughter.

“It’s very okay with me because […] we all get a week of fun,” said Zoe Goiavangrp, a Bancroft Elementary School student.

Members of the “Common Front” – representing four major public sector unions in Quebec – the CSN, the CSQ, the APTS and the FTQ – will be on strike those three days.

The Federation interprofessionnelle de la sante du Quebec (FIQ) says its members will also walk off the job Nov. 23 and 24.

So will CEGEP teachers and other members of the the Syndicat de professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ).

The roughly 65,000 teachers in the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) are expected to launch an unlimited general strike on Nov. 23.

That means classes at some school’s – including all of the schools under the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal and the EMSB’s FACE school – will be cancelled indefinitely as of that day.

Quebec’s Tresury Board president Sonia Lebel took to social media on Thursday to say, “We are aware of the impacts of an unlimited general strike, however I want to assure parents there is colossal work being done at the negotiation tables.”

She called on unions to take the government’s offer seriously.

“It is not acceptable to be offered 10.3 per cent over five years when the cost of inflation is much closer to 16 or 17 per cent. And that’s just the cost of inflation, not any actual salary increase. We need to retain the teachers that we have and we need to attract new students into the faculties of education at university,” Newton added.

On Nov. 6, 2023 some 420,000 public workers from the “Common Front” went on a one-day strike.