1600 McGill teaching assistants could be on strike for the end of term

MONTREAL, March 17, 2024 /CNW/ - In the midst of negotiating their collective agreement, McGill 1600 teaching assistants have just voted 87% in favor of an eight-week strike bank, with a record turnout that could affect the end of the university semester.

"Today, union members are sending a clear message to the administration: if we have to go on strike, we're ready to do so. We didn't make this choice lightly, but we feel it is our last resort in this bargaining. The ball is now in the employer's court to ensure that we get the contract we deserve," explains Fanny Teissandier, a teaching assistant.

In bargaining since September for the renewal of their collective agreement, the union is demanding a substantial pay raise to offset the rising cost of living and catch up with the average salary of teaching assistants in the rest of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, which includes the University of Toronto, Queen's University, McMaster University and the University of British Columbia. 

The workers are also calling for the hours of contracts allotted to teaching assistants to be indexed to the number of students. The union is concerned that the decline of hours seen in recent years will end up affecting the quality of training at the University. 

" McGill prides itself on offering first-rate teaching. How can the University ensure quality teaching if it reduces the resources available to students, for instance by cutting the hours granted to teaching assistants to do their work? " asks Christine Gauthier, Vice-President of the Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec?CSN (FNEEQ?CSN). 

"Teaching assistants are graduate students. Improving their working conditions also means improving their research conditions. The union can count on the CSN's support for as long as it takes McGill to face the facts," adds Chantal Ide, Vice-President of the Conseil central du Montréal Métropolitain?CSN. 

SOURCE CSN