Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers held a one-day strike on Wednesday in an effort to turn up the pressure.

Health care workers, government bureaucrats, and teachers walked off the job and took to downtown streets in their bid for higher wages.

Roy Fu, a teacher at John Abbott College, said he does not feel the wage demands of are unreasonable.

Salary increases have always been the main sticking point and until recently, Quebec and the unions were “miles apart.” Quebec is now offering 5 per cent over a five-year contract. The unions are asking for almost twice that amount in a three-year contract.

"What we're asking for is not pie in the sky. What we're asking for is decent basic, wage increases that keep up with the cost of living," said Fu.

"We're trying to maintain our standard of living."

Treasury board president Martin Coiteux called the strike "unnecessary" at this stage

“The government has a small room to manoeuvre, but for that to be considered, we have to act very quickly and this is what I'm asking them to do,” said Coiteux.

Almost every elementary and high school in the province was closed on Wednesday Dec. 9 as teachers took part in a one-day general strike in a bid to improve their wages and working conditions.

On Thursday and Friday teachers at the English school boards will return to work, but teachers at French schools in an around Montreal belong to a different union, and the FAE will continue its walkout for the rest of the week.

In Montreal at least one borough closed its offices for the afternoon as workers walked off the job shortly after lunch.

The Common Front has a mandate for six strike days, and this was the fourth, meaning two more general strike days could take place in the weeks to come.

For the past two years several unions have joined forces in a common front to negotiate new collective agreements -- but others are keeping an arm's length relationship.

This past week several unions have reached agreements in principle on a variety of issues.

On Saturday the Federation interprofessionnelle de santé du Quebec (FIQ) said it had reached a "historic" agreement concerning working conditions, including premiums paid to professionals and an increase in full-time positions.

The FTQ said it has an agreement for support staff in many areas.