On the eve of a day of protest, union leaders in Quebec sat down for a traditional breakfast with the premier of Quebec.

By all accounts the meeting was not productive.

The union leaders and the premier both say they want to help the middle class, but their ideas regarding how that is accomplished are very different.

The premier said his goal is to improve the lagging economy buy cutting taxes and giving the middle class some "oxygen" - and that will likely be accomplished in part by limiting pay hikes for public servants.

The union leaders say what Quebec's middle class needs is continued funding for generous social programs.

The unions that represent civil servants are hoping for a 13.5 percent salary increase in their current round of contract negotiations. The government is offering a 3 percent raise over the next five years.

Jacques Letourneau, the president of the CSN, said it's obvious the Liberal government has only one goal in mind when it comes to government finances.

"We have a government barrelling at high speed, like a bullet train, toward a balanced budget and tax cuts and debt repayment without much thought about the social consequences," said Letourneau.

Premier Philippe Couillard said that more than a year after being elected on precisely that basis, no union member should be surprised that the government is determined to rein in spending on social programs.

"We will not move from balancing the budget. We will not move from acting on our debt. We will not move on reducing the tax burden for Quebecers," said Couillard.

Union leaders said they have suggested other alternatives to the premier, but said suggestions to increase corporate taxes fell on deaf ears.

They left the meeting repeating that they are trying to convince union members to engage in a province-wide general strike this autumn.

On Friday, May 1, tens of thousands of union members are expected to participate in a large protest for workers' rights and against the provincial government.

That protest is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Phillips Square.