One of the umbrella groups representing teachers in Quebec is walking away from contract negotiations.
The Federation autonome de l'enseignment (FAE) represents 34,000 teachers belonging to eight unions. The FAE announced Tuesday that there is no point in continuing with contract talks until it consults with its membership, which it will do on Monday Nov. 9.
The union organization said that 64 meetings with negotiators have made no progress in two of its key concerns, namely conditions in classrooms and compensation for teachers.
FAE leader Sylain Mallette said talking to the school board negotiators has been like talking to a stone wall.
"Faced with this attitude the FAE has no choice but to suspend negotiations and to urge the government to adopt other methods to come to a satisfactory agreement," said Mallette.
The FAE said the government attempt to freeze the education budget by re-allocating resources was not realistic.
"This is untenable, untenable for teachers and for students," said Martin Lauzon.
The group said it was also not realistic of Treasury Board president Martin Coiteux when he recently said that negotiations would end by Christmas, considering the FAE does not believe there has been any meeting of the minds on the government's 58 proposals and the unions' 55 demands.
