On Monday morning hundreds of teachers belonging to the FAE, the Federation Autonome de l'Enseignement, staged a noisy protest in front of the Montreal offices of the Liberal Party of Quebec, then marched to the Palais des Congres.
Representatives of the FAE said they were "proud and angry" and would continue to put pressure on the provincial government.
At the early morning protest representatives from the umbrella group, which represents eight teachers' unions at French school boards in Quebec, said they were asking members to approve a mass walkout on Dec. 9, 10, and 11.
"The 34,000 teachers that we represent they say to the government 'if you can find money for Bombardier you can find money for us, for the public schools, for the children we teach every day,'" said Nathalie Morel, the V-P of FAE.
"We think that the population, the parents, are with us."
The FAE walked away from negotiations with the provincial government earlier this month.
The Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, which represents more than 8,000 teachers in English school boards in Quebec, has yet to say whether it will take part in a strike in December.
Last week other unions belonging to the Common Front said they were not going to hold a general strike at the beginning of December in an attempt to create goodwill among government negotiators.
Unions are asking for a pay raise equal to at least 6.9 percent over three years, as long as it was indexed to cost of living increases. Previously they had asked for a 13.5 percent hike over three years.
That offer was rejected by Treasury Board President Martin Coiteux, who said it was light-years away from what the government could afford, estimating the cost of the demanded salary hike at $12 billion over five years.
The provincial government has offered all provincial workers a three percent raise over five years.
