Quebec opposition parties, daycare unions call on premier to end labour dispute

Leaders of Quebec's public daycare workers' unions and members of the province's opposition parties are coming together to call on Premier François Legault to personally intervene in a labour dispute that has paralyzed much of the public daycare system. 

"You have everything it takes to intervene and end this conflict, to bring us out of the crisis," said Stéphanie Vachon, childcare lead at the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS), affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) union, at a joint news conference Sunday. 

"Do it for society, do it for our children." 

An indefinite strike is underway in 400 childcare centre across the province after some 11,000 CSN workers walked off the job last Wednesday.

The Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance du Québec (FIPEQ), affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), which represents 3,200 members, is also expected to begin a pre-approved indefinite strike Dec. 9 if there's no agreement with the government.

On Saturday, workers with the Quebec Union of Service Employees (SQEES), affiliated with the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), said they will also strike Dec. 9 if the parties don't reach an agreement in the coming days. The strike would affect 10 more daycare centres. 

"The government needs to understand that all staff, regardless of job title, count in a daycare centre," said SQEES-FTQ president Sylvie Nelson.

"We are not far from reaching an agreement, but it is up to the Treasury Board to make the necessary movement to get there." 

Legault's administration had offered a 20 per cent salary increase to educators, but support staff ⁠— employees who work in maintenance, kitchens and administration ⁠— were only offered a nine per cent bump and that has been a sticking point in the negotiations. 

At the news conference, Vachon recalled the premier's statement on how someone with a diplôme d'études collégiales (DEC) should earn a salary of $30 per hour, which is not the case for support staff in daycares in spite of their education. 

Valérie Grenon, president of the FIPEQ-CSQ urged anyone affected by the strike to directly address the premier.

"The obsession with offering the same parameters to all support staff, regardless of context, needs to change now," Grenon said. 

Following the conference, Florence Plourde, a spokesperson for the Quebec Treasury Board, told Radio-Canada reaching an agreement remains the government's main goal. 

"The unions must also stop being inflexible," Plourde said. "The CSN maintains requests at around 20 per cent for all of its members. In addition, the CSQ, rather than [working together], widened the gap between us," she said.  "It takes both sides to negotiate."