QUÉBEC CITY, Nov. 21, 2023 /CNW/ – On strike today, Wednesday and Thursday, the 100,000 teachers members of the Front commun represented by the Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement (FSE-CSQ) and the Association provinciale des enseignantes et enseignants du Québec (APEQ- QPAT) are taking to the streets all over Québec to demand, with one voice, better working conditions, inseparable from the learning conditions of students.
“It is high time that the government stops being inflexible and that, beyond the fine and misleading speeches, it takes action and is open at the negotiating tables. We are determined to improve our working conditions, and we have many solutions to offer. We are losing too many teachers in the fight, exhausted from carrying the school network at arm’s length. Let us remember that by supporting the demands of teachers, we directly support the learning conditions of students,” said Josée Scalabrini, President of the FSE-CSQ, and Steven
Le Sueur, President of APEQ-QPAT, who are gathered before the Employer Negotiating Committee in Quebec.
As part of the renewal of their employment contract, in addition to a reduced workload, the teachers are asking for improved class composition, and to lower the excessive number of students in difficulty in a given group.
“More balanced classes, with fewer students in difficulty, provides breathing room for both teachers and students,” added the two union representatives, specifying that the union demands are accompanied by a deployment plan, specifically developed to take into account the shortage.
In terms of salaries, the government is offering teachers a 10.3% increase over 5 years, which represents an impoverishment of 7.8% over the long term for teaching staff. “Teachers, like everyone else, must also face a significant increase in the cost of living, and becoming poorer is not a winning condition for attracting and retaining people in teaching,” said Ms. Scalabrini and Mr. Le Sueur.
“We never willingly go on strike. More than ever, we need a clear signal from the government in favour of education, public schools and the promotion of our profession. This is why we are standing in the streets, united to make ourselves heard. It is now up to the government to make the right choices by listening to the needs of its network,” concluded the representatives of the Front commun teachers.
Remember that the main requests from teachers are to:
- Improve class composition;
- Lighten the workload of teaching staff;
- Improve the pay of teaching staff.
To learn more about the current negotiations: frontcommun.org and fse.lacsq.org.
The FSE-CSQ consists of 34 unions representing more than 95,000 teachers with school service centres and school boards across Quebec. Its members include teachers from all sectors, including pre-school, primary, secondary, vocational and general adult education. It is affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ).
Consisting of 10 unions, the QPAT represents more than 8,000 teachers from all education sectors of Quebec’s English-language school boards. It negotiates in collaboration with the FSE-CSQ and is a member of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF).
SOURCE Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement (CSQ)
