Quebec's Common Front says it will strike again in 2 weeks if negotiations continue to stall

Quebec's Common Front of public sector workers says it will strike again in two weeks -- on Nov. 21, 22 and 23 -- if it is unable to come to an agreement with the provincial government.

"This could be the largest public sector strike in 50 years," the group told CTV News.

This comes as hundreds of thousands of workers in schools, health care facilities and the social services network walked off the job Monday for their first strike action.

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"We are announcing the timing of the second strike sequence, which will be held over three full days," said the Common Front. "Our message this morning is clear: our negotiating teams are fully available for the next two weeks. The goal is to reach a win-win settlement for workers and public services. No one wants another strike sequence, but we'll be ready if we have to be."

The government's latest offer was a 10.3 per cent salary increase over five years and a one-time payment of $1,000 to each worker.

The government has said that in addition to pay raises, its offer includes more money for workers doing shifts it considers a priority, such as nurses working nights and weekends and teachers' aides in primary schools.

Workers who earn less than $52,000 a year would also receive an additional one per cent increase.

The unions, on the other hand, say the government's proposal doesn't cover inflation.

"The government is pushing us to strike. It's reaping what it sowed, no less. We've trimmed our demands at all the negotiation table, but one thing is certain: workers' expectations are high," the group argued. "Letting our people become poorer is a non-negotiable."

They have countered with a demand for a three-year contract with annual increases tied to the inflation rate: two percentage points above inflation in the first year or $100 per week, whichever is more beneficial, followed by three points higher in the second year and four points higher in the third.

The Common Front is made up of 420,000 members of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS) and Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ) unions.

Union members voted 95 per cent in favour of walking out, including a potential unlimited general strike.  

-- with files from The Canadian Press.