No class Monday morning for Montreal students as public sector workers strike

As union members gear up for a massive strike, students in the Montreal area should expect a late start to their school day on Monday.

The strike action is being led by a common front of public sector unions uniting more than 400,000 workers in Quebec.

Sunday, they rejected the province's latest offer in negotiations.

Some workers include teachers, caretakers and cafeteria workers in schools across Quebec.

At the English Montreal School Board (EMSB), four unions representing workers have given official notice that they plan to go on strike from midnight on Nov. 6 until 10:30 a.m.

The action means classes will not start until 11 a.m. Monday in the youth and adult sectors.

"All English Montreal School Board youth sector schools, elementary and high schools, will remain open on Monday, Nov. 6. The school day will begin at 11 a.m. for the start of classes, and there will be supervision in the school yard at 10:50 a.m. in the elementary schools," the EMSB wrote in a memo to parents.

The board also warns that school bus service will not be available that day.

"Parents must arrange for their children's transportation to school for the beginning of classes at 11 a.m. Daycare services for students already registered, and bus transportation with certain exceptions will resume in the afternoon following the regular schedule," the memo stated. 

The notice comes as school bus drivers in the Montreal area launched a separate strike on Halloween.

Students who take Transco buses will have to find alternative means to get to school.

The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) on Montreal's West Island also warned parents that classes will start late on Monday.

The school day will start at 11 a.m. for elementary and secondary schools, and there will be no daycare or school bus service in the morning.

"Parents will need to arrange for their children's transportation to school for the 11 a.m. start time. The end of the day daycare services and transportation will be as usual except for those students using school buses by our Transco carrier," the board said in a statement sent to CTV News.

The one-day strike by common front workers will also affect students at the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM).

The board said schools will start in the afternoon on Monday, according to their regular schedule. School bus service and daycare will only be offered at the end of classes.

For the Joseph-Charbonneau and Victor-Doré schools, the CSSDM said a special notice will be sent to parents with more information, while vocational and adult education programs will start at 11 a.m. on Monday.

The Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys said in an update Wednesday on its website that the strike will affect morning classes. As a result, "our schools will welcome students for regular afternoon classes," the message said.