Quebec public sector strikes could inspire others, as workers grow more combative

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

A labour policy expert says an eventual successful resolution of Quebec's massive public sector strikes could serve as an inspiration to other labour unions in the province and elsewhere. 

McGill associate sociology professor Barry Eidlin says the Quebec strikes are part of a broader North American trend in which workers have become increasingly willing to fight to reverse decades of declining work standards.

Two separate union groups announced Thursday they had made major progress toward ending the labour conflict that has closed hundreds of schools, delayed surgeries and brought nearly half a million workers to the streets since November.

Teachers union FAE said it had reached a deal in principle with the government and would end its unlimited strike, while an alliance of four unions representing 420,000 education, health-care and social service workers said it had reached a tentative deal on salaries.

Eidlin says several steps remain before the labour conflict can be declared over, including the eventual ratification of the new deals by union membership.

However, he says the strikes and the strong public support for the workers sent a signal to the Quebec government that it needs to listen to the unions and take their proposals seriously.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2023.

 

Quebec reaches tentative deal on salaries with union representing 420K workers

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Striking teachers with the FAE union march through the streets to press their contract demands Tuesday, December 12, 2023 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

An alliance of Quebec unions representing 420,000 public sector workers said Thursday it reached a deal on salaries with the provincial government, a crucial step toward ending the labour conflict that has shut schools and delayed surgeries since November.

The deal, which has to be approved by members, paves the way to settling new collective agreements with the so-called "common front" — the largest labour group negotiating with the province.

"On the salary front, the objectives of the common front were based on two key principles: protecting our 420,000 workers against inflation and securing a certain overall catch-up of wages for all workers. And that's what guided us throughout this negotiation blitz to reach a tentative agreement proposal," the group said in a news release.

Four major unions compose the common front — FTQ, CSN, APTS and CSQ — and they represent hundreds of thousands of workers in sectors such as education and health care. Earlier this week, the government reached a tentative agreement with the common front on working conditions.

The four unions said the tentative deal will be presented over the coming days to their member groups, which will decide whether to take the agreement to workers for a vote.

The common front has launched 11 days of strikes since November to pressure the government to reach a deal.

Meanwhile, a union representing around 40 per cent of the province's teachers — who aren't part of the common front — said Wednesday it was ready to present to its leadership a "global settlement" covering salaries and working conditions — a major step before more than 66,000 teachers end their walkout, which began Nov. 23.

The last major labour group without any kind of deal — Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec, which represents 80,000 health-care workers — said Thursday that negotiations are ongoing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2023.