After meeting in federal council with the unions they represent, the Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ) and the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (APEQ-QPAT) have decided to submit to their members the sectoral regulation proposal received from the Quebec Treasury Board. Under the circumstances, the organizations cannot consider this to be an agreement in principle, despite some interesting progress, as some of their priorities are not met. It will therefore be up to the teachers to determine whether this proposal constitutes a sectoral regulation. It will not be made public until meetings are held with the members.
"Contrary to what the Minister said, we are not signing anything with a smile. While it facilitates entry into the profession and enhances staff autonomy and compensation, the sectoral regulation proposal that has been submitted to us does not lighten the workload to the extent that teachers were looking for. It is clear that since the strike began, significant progress has been made, and we have made some interesting gains on a number of issues. However, what is currently on the table does not fully meet our expectations. It is therefore up to our members to assess this as a whole," said Josée Scalabrini, FSE-CSQ President, and Heidi Yetman, APEQ-QPAT President.
The FSE-CSQ and QPAT have been calling for significant improvements in four main priority areas: classroom composition and services for students with special needs, a significantly lighter workload, better wages for all teachers, less employment precarity and a professional integration mechanism.
"We have invited the relevant affiliated unions to submit the proposal to their members in two stages to allow them to go through the content and vote with the clarity needed in the current virtual context," the union representatives said.
It should be noted that the public employees' general salary parameters are still being negotiated between the Quebec Treasury Board and the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), and will be applied to the specific salary parameters proposed to teachers.
In light of this approach, please be advised that the FSE-CSQ and QPAT are suspending the strike scheduled for April 27, but are maintaining the other pressure tactics currently in place.
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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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