FAE Teachers strike Day 13: ‘We’re doing everything to reach an agreement,’ union says
Posted December 11, 2023 1:35 pm.
Last Updated December 11, 2023 4:14 pm.
Public sector negotiations continue between the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) union and the Quebec government – and the FAE says it’s members have been ‘cheated,’ but they are confident a deal can be reached before the holidays.
“Our movement has not produced the opening we were promised,” said FAE president Mélanie Hubert at a press conference on Monday in Montreal.
She explained the the most recent counter-offer proposed by the Quebec government is still not satisfactory.
On a general unlimited strike since Nov. 23, about 66,000 FAE teachers are reiterating their demands to the government, urging them to “take seriously the important negotiation process that is underway”.
“FAE members are engaged in a battle that is bigger than themselves,” added Hubert. “The current round of negotiations must improve teachers’ working conditions.”
However, teachers say they have softened their position on the assignment of classes and are ready to work with the province to ensure that most of them are assigned classes in June rather than in August. The government says it wants to avoid a perennial problem that occurs every year in late August, when school boards scramble to find teachers as the school year begins.
But Hubert said the union concessions weren’t good enough for the government, adding that the FAE doesn’t plan to make any more offers.
“We told the government, in our opinion, it is no longer the time to make further concessions,” she said.
Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel writing on social media Monday afternoon: “Negotiations/FAE: Important discussions have taken place and we now have on the table the essential elements to reach an agreement. Despite certain gaps, we are entering a crucial phase which will allow us to glimpse an agreement for the benefit of students and teachers.”
Benoit Giguère, VP work relations, with the FAE said that last Thursday, they made their own counter-offer, “we opened what the government wanted the flexibility offer. We’ve been going to our demands to bring up the flexibility he asked for.”
“Yesterday, we reached an agreement to be able to find a new way to be able to talk with the management beginning of today. The object of our agreement is to be able to really focus on some subjects, to be able to reach an agreement before Christmas.”
Giguère explained that most of the teachers are assigned in June, but they’re open to having more teacher to be assigned at the end of June.
“There is also an assignment around the month of August, because there is some maternity leaves and there are many replacements that are done during the summer.”
Giguère added that this was a main issue for the government, “but at the end of the day, once we open on that, we thought that maybe we would be able to advance on some of our demands. But at the end of the weekend, we see that it wasn’t the main issue or there is some people at the table that doesn’t have everything to go forward with us.”
The FAE said they are willing and “able to negotiate 24/7.” That they are “not here to strike.”
“We’re doing everything to reach an agreement. We want our teachers want to go back to go in class, but they don’t want to go back at the same way it was before they’ve been on strike on the last three weeks.”
Their message to parents: “We’re grateful for their understanding, their support…we know that the people are with us, but we also know that they want their child to go back, their children to go back. So we are doing everything we can to reach an agreement and to be for better conditions, for working conditions for us, but also learning conditions for the students and their children,” ended Giguère.
