Negotiations in the public sector: The public front calls for mediation

General Front, became CSNof CSQof FTQ AndAPTsThere are 420,000 members.

There are union members who are already irritated by the lack of staff and the resulting workload Very poorly received The $30,000 increase for elected officials was announced by the Francois Legault government, according to Robert Comeau, president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Workers in Health and Social Services (APTS).

The mediator will serve as an independent third party to try to bring the parties together. He will then report on the progress of his work.

The government of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) has six months left in its offer to renew the employment contracts of 600,000 employees in the public and parapublic sectors – and it has since been upgraded. Once the offers were submitted, they were rejected by the unions.

On Thursday, for the 420,000 public sector workers, at least, the situation is far from a resolution.

The General Front among trade unions criticizes the employers’ party for seeking to advance only its own priorities. For her part, Sonia Lebel, chair of the Treasury Board, condemns thisInactivity He says he felt that during the talks at the sectoral meeting table on health and education.

The minister is calling the party members as the summer vacation is approaching Double the speed.

Naturally, I can already hear some on both sides of the table saying: “We’re entitled to our holidays”. [et] It is not at riskshe said on the show All in one morning, at the ICI Premiere, Thursday. To paraphrase Leibel, everyone can spend time with their family. But he insists that the next three months must be used to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion.

Sonia Lebel says she has made proposals to the unions and they have not commented [elle] [s’]waiting for[ait].

” How should I behave at the bargaining table when I hear comments like “it’s too late”? Say: “It’s perfect, we’re closing the books, it’s over”? »

Threat of strike

Asked if François Legault’s government was prepared for the possibility of a teachers’ strike this autumn, Sonia Lebel responded: Absolutely. But she said in one breath that she didn’t want that. She said let’s work, let’s work twice as hard in the summer [pour négocier].

To date, the Federation of Autonomous Education (FAE), the Montreal teachers’ union, has voted in favor of an indefinite general strike. Exercise should be done at the right time.

Along with the request for arbitration, the union must obtain the right to a legal strike at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.said Alexis Richard, Alliance’s communications consultant.

there FAEOn May 10, the person seeking mediation for his part, confirms Always blocking thingsIts president Melanie Hubert explains. But, really, if mediation fails, we have to look at what we doAdds Ms Hubert, who has not ruled out the possibility of a strike.

This is the view of Josie Scalabrini, President of the Federation of Education Societies (FSE-CSQ). The latter assumes that The ruling party has only itself to blame for the slowdown in [sa] table.

Chairman of FSE-CSQ It says it has submitted 91 negotiation dates to the government since January. We held 19 meetingsHe protests, saying that during past negotiations its members have always held talks in the summer. It was the ruling party that did not negotiate during the summershe says.

” Next fall, the mechanisms of pressure will intensify and it may go as far as a strike. »

On Wednesday, employers’ representatives are hoping to improve their cash offers in education and health and renew public and parapublic sector collective agreements with unions.

With information by Julie Marceau