Nurses, health workers set to join other Quebec public sector workers on picket lines
A Quebec union representing 80,000 nurses and other health-care workers started a four-day walkout on Monday, joining hundreds of thousands of other public sector employees on strike to pressure the provincial government to settle their collective agreements.
The nurses union, known as the FIQ, says a deal before the end of the year is possible, adding that its leadership is ready to hold talks over the holidays if that's what it takes. But union president Julie Bouchard told a news conference there are "still many obstacles."
For a negotiated settlement to occur before Jan. 1, Bouchard said, "We need a blitz."
Quebec's labour unrest has reached a high point. Aside from the FIQ, a group of four unions calling itself the "common front" and representing 420,000 public sector workers, including teachers, education support staff and lab technicians, are on strike until Dec. 14. Meanwhile, the FAE, a teachers union with about 66,000 members, has been on an unlimited general strike since Nov. 23.
Common front unions say that if a deal isn't reached soon, their next move will be to launch an unlimited strike.
Striking workers received some support on Monday from a major private sector union -- the Syndicat des Metallos -- which is affiliated with common front member FTQ. The steelworkers donated $100,000 in grocery gift cards for members of the Common Front and FAE unions, "to support families most affected as the holiday season approaches," the union said.
Quebec's striking unions rejected the government's most recent global contract offer, which included a salary increase of 12.7 per cent over five years; they said the offer doesn't keep pace with inflation.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said last week he's open to offering workers more money but wants unions to make concessions on management priorities, such as the timelines for teachers to be assigned classes and the transfer of nurses between health facilities.
However, teachers say they have softened their position on the assignment of classes. FAE president Melanie Hubert says teachers are ready to work with the province to ensure that most of them are assigned classes in June rather than in August. The government says it wants to avoid a perennial problem that occurs every year in late August, when school boards scramble to find teachers as the school year begins.
But Hubert said the union concessions weren't good enough for the government, adding that the FAE doesn't plan to make any more offers.
"We told the government, in our opinion, it is no longer the time to make further concessions," she said.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Dec. 11, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6977053.1721909931!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Sick to my stomach': People grieve Jasper National Park by sharing favourite photos
As an out-of-control wildfire roared through Alberta’s famed Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday, many are fearing the worst as officials warned of 'significant loss' within the area.
LIVE UPDATES 'Hopefully it's better than what we're thinking': Jasper wildfire damage details anxiously awaited
Officials are waiting to learn Thursday morning the extent of wildfire damage in the Jasper townsite of Jasper National Park, which flames began to eat away at the night before.
Canadian women's soccer team staffer given suspended prison sentence over drone incident, prosecutor says
A Canada women's soccer team staffer has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence after flying a drone to film the closed-door training session of the New Zealand team on Monday, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Sale of envoy's NYC condo 'expected to exceed' $9M: government
The current official residence for Canada's representative in New York City is 'being readied for sale,' according to a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada.
Jasper wildfire burns buildings, while poor air quality forces some fire crews out
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Loblaw to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500 million to settle a pair of class-action lawsuits regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'