Negotiations with Teachers - Legal Strike Too Disruptive for Employers
QUEBEC, April 7, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ) and the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (APEQ-QPAT) were stunned to learn yesterday of the challenge announced by the school service centres and school boards affected by the strike planned for the morning of April 14, until 9:30 a.m. Specifically, the school service centres and boards went before the Superior Court to seek an interlocutory and permanent injunction in order to prevent the legitimate use of this pressure tactic, which had never been used in the education sector. According to the employers, the administrative disruption caused by short-term strikes would be excessive.
For the FSE-CSQ and the APEQ-QPAT, this is clearly an attempt to violate teachers' fundamental right of teachers to strike, which is protected by the charters. Authorities don't dispute the legality of this type of strike, but denounce the significant administrative repercussions it entails. This innovative strike was organized with the objective of putting pressure on employers, while minimizing the impact on educational services for students.
"Our strategy is clearly disruptive. Obviously, employers would prefer seeing students deprived of a full day's class than being forced to reorganize their services during the strike. It's a choice they refuse to make because they want to vilify us. It's despicable! This shows, once again, that employers prefer to fight the teachers' pressure tactics rather than fight alongside them to improve our school system. We'll do everything we can to enforce our rights," said Josée Scalabrini, President of the FSE-CSQ.
Unions pointed out that from wearing t-shirts to going on a "traditional" strike, all the pressure tactics they implemented during the last negotiations were challenged, including extending recesses, as well as and withholding report cards and the initial communication to parents. More recently, teachers have even suffered compensation cuts as they were doing personal work during pedagogical days.
"The employers' disregard for our rights has gone on long enough. This new challenge, far from slowing us down, drives us even further. After trying to be heard without disrupting the students' daily lives, we understand that our employers would like us to exert the only pressure tactic they don't dispute, namely full-day strikes. But we intend to fight to defend our rights, which are once again being trampled upon. Enough is enough!" said Heidi Yetman, President of the APEQ-QPAT.
Profile
The Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ) is composed of 34 unions representing more than 65,000 teachers in school service centres and school boards across Quebec. Its membership includes 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) and negotiates in collaboration with the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (APEQ-QPAT), which represents the 8,000 teachers in Quebec's English school boards. Together, they represent 73,000 teachers.
SOURCE Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (CSQ)
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