Sixth strike day for FAE teachers, union meeting Thursday to reassess situation

Pressure is mounting for the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), which entered its sixth day of unlimited strike action on Thursday. It is the only public-sector union to have launched an indefinite strike from the outset, without prior strike days. The union is negotiating alone with the Quebec government.

Since the start of the strike, the FAE had said it would reassess the situation on a weekly basis. This is what they’ll be doing in a meeting on Thursday.

Some 70 representatives of its nine affiliated unions are meeting for the whole day to assess the situation. All options remain on the table, the union said.

The FAE has not requested a mediator, unlike the common front inter-union group of public workers, which claims that the arrival of the conciliator, at its request, has created “momentum” at the bargaining tables.

The FAE represents 66,500 elementary and secondary school teachers.

The other 95,000 elementary and secondary teachers are members of the CSQ, which is part of the common front. So far, the common front has walked off the job for four days, in two separate strikes. It announced this week another seven days of strike from December 8 to 14.

Meanwhile, Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville reiterated on Thursday that a decision had not yet been taken as to when and how these school-free days would be resumed.

When asked whether he could envision the FAE strike lasting until the Christmas break, which would mean a month without school for these students, he replied: “Unfortunately, yes; do I hope we won’t get there? The answer is yes too”.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 30, 2023.