Striking Quebec teachers block the Port of Montreal, cause 'significant' impact on operations

Several hundred striking Fédération Autonome de l'Enseignement (FAE) teachers blocked the entrance to the Port of Montreal on Thursday to put more pressure on the Quebec government to reach a deal.

Their reason for blocking the port was simple: economics.

"The only argument the government seems to understand is money," said FAE vice-president Patrick Bydal.

"Teachers are exasperated and angry at the government's irresponsibility and are making a major economic sacrifice to save public schools. The FAE and the teachers are, therefore, calling on François Legault to assume his responsibilities and act as a head of state concerned about reaching a satisfactory agreement in principle that will meet the crying needs of teachers, but also of their students, young people and adults."

Several hundred union members formed a picket line in front of one of the entrances to the port on Thursday, causing a massive traffic jam of trucks along Notre-Dame Street and Highway 25 in Montreal's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.

According to the Montreal Port Authority, the demonstration had a "significant" impact on port operations.

Spokesperson Renée Larouche said between 500 and 800 trucks, or 25 per cent, "were unable to make their transactions this morning [based on daily traffic]," leading to officials adjusting their logistics throughout the day to make up for the delays.

"We’re not giving up and we’re here to show [Legault] that … we’re here to hit him where it hurts economically," said English teacher Christian Lapierre.

The FAE represents around 66,000 elementary and high school teachers. The members have been on an indefinite strike since Nov. 23 and on Wednesday they rejected Quebec's latest offer.

Thursday's strike action was not announced ahead of time and police were unaware it was going to happen.

"We're here because the government doesn’t respect us, doesn’t respect the parents, the students and the public school," said Sarah Grenier, a special needs teacher. "We're mad, we're frustrated but we’re not tired. We're still here."

Quebec City teachers also blocked access to the port, and not far away, parents rounded up donations to give to teachers — about $5,000 of much needed support going into the holidays.

But it's not only teachers who are being hit hard during this strike. The federation of school principals says if a deal can't be negotiated, Quebec should consider back-to-work legislation in the new year.

"We have a lot of concerned parents who are reaching out and are worried about their child's learning," said Nicolas Prévost, president of the Fédération Québécoise des Directions d'établissement d'enseignement. 

• As Quebec teachers strike drags on, fears rise about children's welfare

Premier Legault's government says it is focused on negotiations and not thinking about legislation to force teachers back on the job.

Teachers who are members of the Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignement (FSE-CSQ), which is part of the Common Front of public sector unions, have held periodic strikes over the past two months.

Neither the FSE-CSQ or FAE has signed a deal with the Legault government.

The 420,000-member common front coalition said it would launch an unlimited strike in 2024 if no deal is reached.

With files from CTV News Montreal's Matt Gilmour