Daycare union files ‘bad faith’ bargaining complaint against Quebec government

The Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance (FIPEQ), affiliated to the CSQ, has filed a complaint in court against the Quebec government for failing to negotiate a deal in ‘good faith.’

The collective agreements for some public daycare (CPE) workers expired a year ago and the Legault government has yet to table its offers.

The complaint, filed with the Tribunal administratif du travail, namess the Minister for Families, Suzanne Roy, Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel, and the employers’ association.

The FIPEQ is asking the tribunal to declare that the two ministers and the employers’ association mutally failed to negotiate diligently and in good faith, thereby contravening the Labour Code.

Additionally, the FIPEQ is asking the Court to order the two ministers and the employers’ association to submit a schedule of negotiation meetings, starting in May and ending in December, within 10 days of the possible issuance of an order.

The federation also wants the ministers and the employers to table their offers within 20 days of the possible issuance of the order.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, FIPEQ President Valérie Grenon said she was disappointed.

“As I speak, we have no date for negotiations in the next few weeks or months.”

The FIPEQ tabled its demands in September 2023.

The collective agreements expired on March 31, 2023, at the same time as those in the public sector.

Quebec’s offers have not been tabled, a year after the agreements expired.

“We hope that just the announcement of the complaint will get the government moving and that we won’t have to reach a decision,” said Grenon. “But if we must go to the decision, we’ll go to the decision. And we will continue to use our pressure tactics to get things moving.”

Grenon says her members in the day-care centres “are ready to mobilise, even to the point of going on strike.”

She announced that starting at the end of April, she may ask her members to take stronger pressure tactics, including strike action.

This federation represents more than 11,000 members in daycare services.

When asked in February about the lack of employer offers, several months after the FIPEQ submitted its demands, LeBel said she was waiting for the other unions representing childcare workers to submit their demands.

“The government must wait until it has all of the unions’ proposals before tabling its demands, because we won’t be tabling different demands for each of the unions,” explained LeBel.

The FIPEQ replied to LeBel saying that nothing prevented the government from negotiating the normative clauses.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews