The FSE-CSQ and the QPAT endorse the proposed regulation tabled by Quebec

Adil Boukind Le Devoir The proposed regulation was sent to the FSE federal council, which will decide whether it is an agreement in principle which can then be submitted to the members.

Alexandre Robillard and Alex Fontaine

December 22, 2023

• Quebec

The federal council of the Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ) and the Provincial Association of Teachers of Quebec (APEQ) endorsed, Friday evening, the proposed regulation made by the government of Quebec, while intensive discussions have begun with the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE).

The FSE indicated by way of a press release that it will present the elements of the proposed sectoral regulation to teaching staff and that the latter “will be called upon to express their views in an assembly before making the details known publicly”. 60~/p>

The union adds, however, that issues, particularly salary issues, will have to be resolved at the central negotiating table in order to avoid an unlimited general strike by the Common Front in early 2024. The FSE and QPAT are part of the inter-union grouping, responsible for the negotiations which continue at the central table, where they are represented by the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ).

“We had the mandate to concretely improve the daily lives of teachers on the basis of our three priorities which are class composition, lightening of the workload and remuneration. We were able to agree on a settlement proposal because we are moving forward on these three elements,” said the president of the FSE, Josée Scalabrini, and the president of the QPAT, Steven Le Sueur,  in their press release.< /p>

Earlier Friday, the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, and the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, affirmed that this proposal agreed with the FSE and the QPAT will make it possible to offer better services for students and to promote their academic success.

“As in all negotiations, the details of this proposal will remain confidential until the members of the two union organizations have decided on its content,” indicates the press release sent by the government.

The organization of work, the workload, the composition of the class, professional autonomy and the salary scale are among the elements of the proposal, specifies the press release.

A blitz initially refused

While an agreement in principle is emerging for these two unions, the FAE, which is not part of the Common Front, began intensive discussions on Friday afternoon, indicated Ms. LeBel's office .

The president of the FAE, Mélanie Hubert, first indicated on Friday morning that a government offer of a blitz to intensify discussions had been refused in the evening the day before.

“Are we in a blitz? No, not yet, but it’s coming,” she said in a video.

According to Ms. Hubert, the framework proposed by the government for intensive negotiations did not do justice to the efforts of the 66,500 FAE union members, on an indefinite general strike since November 23.

“We want to speed up the pace and go for a blitz to reach an agreement, but not on the conditions imposed,” she said. We went on strike for 22 days and it was certainly not to let us dictate our conduct. »

Ms. Hubert, however, was hopeful that the discussions would intensify in the following hours. The FAE then returned to the charge on Friday morning.

“We want to put forward subjects that have not been targeted by the management side,” she explained. So we made a return in this sense to the management party this morning [Friday] and we are waiting for the return. But it seems that it will start again quite intensively in the next few hours. »

Friday evening, the FAE had no more information to offer regarding the progress of the negotiations.

From government and union sources, discussions have intensified at all tables, to varying degrees, with the word “blitz” being used since Thursday.

Friday's meetings at the central table would help maintain hope of a settlement by Christmas.