Quebec reaches deal in principle with health and education unions

The CSN-affiliated Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN) has reached a "tentative agreement in principle" with Quebec, the union announced on its Facebook page on Saturday evening.

Later that evening, education unions also announced that they had reached an agreement with the government.

These events come a day after the CSQ-affiliated Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE) and the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (APEQ) ratified a proposed sectoral settlement with the Legault government as part of negotiations for the renewal of collective agreements.

"The FSSS-CSN negotiating committee has reached a tentative agreement in principle with the Comité patronal de négociation du secteur de la santé et des services sociaux (CPNSSS) on sectoral matters affecting the working conditions of workers in the health and social services network," the union posted on its Facebook page.

The Quebec government confirmed the agreement with the FSSS-CSN in a press release issued on Saturday evening.

The FSSS-CSN said that the tentative agreement would be disclosed to union delegates "as soon as possible," when a tentative agreement in principle would be presented to the central intersectoral negotiating table.

The Common Front, which includes the CSN, CSQ, FTQ and APTS, representing more than 420,000 Quebec public sector workers in education, health and social services and higher education, is negotiating wages at the central table.

"Despite the hypothesis of a sectoral agreement between the FSSS-CSN and the CPNSSS, the problem remains unresolved as far as central table issues are concerned," the FSSS-CSN said in a post on social media networks, stressing that "wage issues must be resolved in order to avoid an unlimited general strike by the Common Front at the beginning of 2024."

The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), which represents thousands of nurses, said in a post on its Facebook page that it had taken note of the FSSS-CSN sectorial by-law.

"The FIQ has been negotiating with the government, in the presence of the mediator, since his appointment last Tuesday," the union added in the same posting.

SECTORAL AGREEMENT IN EDUCATION

At around 9 p.m. on Saturday, the CSQ-affiliated Fédération des professionnelles et professionnels de l'éducation du Québec (FPPE-CSQ) announced a proposed sectoral settlement for the 58 French-language school service centres it represents.

"This proposal concerns the sectoral working conditions of professional staff and will be presented to the federation's federal council on Dec. 27," the union said in a press release.

The Council must ratify the proposed settlement before it can be presented to the membership.

"The federation continues to negotiate the collective agreements of its members in the English, Cree and Kativik school boards," the FPPE-CSQ added.

The Fédération du personnel professionnel des collèges, also affiliated with the CSQ (FPPC-CSQ), also stated on Saturday evening that it had reached a sectoral agreement in principle.

"At a federal council meeting, delegates from the 38 affiliated unions approved a sectoral agreement in principle," said FPPC-CSQ president Éric Cyr in a video posted on the union's Facebook page. "Insurance, salaries, retirement, regional disparities and parental rights, among other things, remain to be settled on an intersectoral basis."

Cyr said that FPPC members will be informed of the details of this sectoral agreement when an intersectoral agreement is reached with the government.

FAE BLITZ

Pressure is now mounting on the Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE), which is not part of the Common Front and whose 66,000 members have been on an unlimited general strike since Nov. 23, with no strike fund.

"We haven't yet entered a 'blitz,' but it's coming," said President Mélanie Hubert in a video posted on Facebook late on Friday morning. "For the moment, we don't know the content of the agreement reached with the FSE, but we will assess the impact that this agreement will have on our own negotiations. It doesn't change anything in terms of our objectives (...) It doesn't take anything away from our own demands."

The FAE said it is ready to engage in intensive negotiations, "but not under the conditions imposed."

"We have been on (indefinite general strike) for 22 days, and we are certainly not going to be dictated to," said Hubert.

Later on Friday, in a press release, Hubert said that the unlimited general strike by FAE teachers "will continue after the holidays" because "the issues imposed (by the government) did not allow a satisfactory agreement to be reached at this time."

"The Federation and its work teams remain available to negotiate throughout the holiday period, if necessary," she said.

In her video on Facebook, the FAE president also stated that it appears that negotiations will "resume fairly intensively in the next few hours."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 23, 2023.