Quebec public sector negotiations resume after Christmas break as strike threat looms
Posted December 26, 2023 12:05 pm.
Last Updated December 26, 2023 12:29 pm.
Negotiations between the Quebec government and unions representing hundreds of thousands of public-sector employees are resuming today after a short Christmas break.
Quebec announced a flurry of tentative deals over the weekend with several labour groups belonging to an alliance known as the common front, including unions representing teachers, school support staff and health-care system employees.
Those deals only cover work conditions, however, and the parties are still negotiating compensation and benefits.
The common front has carried out several multi-day strikes in the last two months and is threatening an unlimited strike in the new year unless it reaches an agreement with the government.
Separate unions representing around 66,000 teachers and 80,000 health-care workers were not among the groups that reached a deal with the government before Christmas.
The teachers union, Fédération autonome de l’enseignement, has been on an unlimited strike since Nov. 23, closing about 800 schools.
