CPE: Agreement in principle approved by CSQ union members

The agreement in principle reached between Quebec and the Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance (FIPEQ), affiliated with the CSQ, has just been accepted by members, in a proportion of 66 per cent.

The FIPEQ is the union organization that represents the largest number of workers in CPEs, after the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux, that is, 3,000 of them.

The agreement in principle for the renewal of the collective agreement was reached just before Christmas, after brief strike periods.

“This is a step in the right direction; it’s a good agreement. Of course, no agreement is perfect. We would have liked to achieve all our objectives. However, we are laying the first stones for the future. And we hope that these first stones can inspire us in the years to come,” commented FIPEQ President Anne-Marie Bellerose in an interview.

The President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, was also pleased with the acceptance of the agreement in principle by the members. “It is good news that the agreement with the FIPEQ-CSQ has been accepted. It will promote better access for Quebec families and will improve the attraction/retention of educators,” she commented.

These workers in the CPEs obtained, in some cases, more than the 17.4 per cent increases over five years that were granted to government employees.

“We got even more, for certain job categories. Yes, we reached, and even exceeded,” the 17.4per cent over five years, assured Bellerose. Qualified educators and specialized educators are the most advantaged in this regard.

For example, before this agreement with the FIPEQ, a qualified educator earned $21.60 per hour at the first level. On April 1, 2025, when the agreement is signed, she will earn $25.15 per hour. The first level therefore benefits from an additional boost to the other levels, which are also adjusted, in order to attract candidates to the profession.

As for the workload, which was another priority of this negotiation, Bellerose reports having obtained an increase in the number of teaching hours.

As for support for children with special needs, a pilot project will be implemented, similar to what was agreed in the school environment with classroom assistance, in order to support the teacher in their tasks.

Similarly, workers who want to do more will have easier access to overtime, notes Bellerose. Quebec did indeed want to obtain more flexibility in the organization of work, in order to increase services to families.

The file on the negotiation of collective agreements for the FIPEQ is not closed, however, since under the rules governing negotiations in early childhood centres, negotiations on local clauses must now be held.

The federation affiliated with the CSN, for its part, has still not managed to conclude an agreement in principle with Quebec, unlike the FIPEQ and two major unions affiliated with the FTQ — the Syndicat québécois des employé(e)s de service and the Syndicat des métallos.

It announced that it would hold its first day of strike in 400 CPEs on Jan. 23.

Negotiations are still ongoing.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews