With an overwhelming majority of 95%, early childhood workers affiliated with the Centrale des unions du Québec (CSQ) voted on Tuesday in favor of a six-day strike mandate.
“Almost everywhere in Quebec, our network is facing service breakdowns or even complete closures. In a context of recovery, we have every interest in being proud of the Quebec model of childcare centers and offering better working conditions to these people, the vast majority of whom are women, who contribute to the development of our little ones, ”declared the President. from the CSQ, Éric Gingras, when the results were announced.
With this decision, the educators hope for renewed negotiations. With 18 months without a collective agreement, they reiterate their desire to reach an agreement as quickly as possible.
“Considering that we want to give negotiations a second chance, we are advising parents that our strike days will not be rolled out immediately. This morning, we met with the President of the Conseil du trésor, Sonia Lebel. We hope that the will to reach an agreement expressed on both sides will be translated into actions at the negotiating table, ”explained the president of the Federation of Early Childhood Workers of Quebec (FIPEQ-CSQ), Valérie Grenon. .
Tuesday morning, the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) also deplored the slowness of negotiations.
“We are witnessing a real exodus of childcare workers, who are leaving the network in large numbers to go to work in other fields. The offers submitted by the Conseil du trésor so far are largely insufficient to reverse this trend and ensure the sustainability of childcare centers, ”said CSN President Caroline Senneville.
Remember that the CSN educators voted last Thursday for a 10-day strike mandate that begins on September 24.
Nearly 13,000 early childhood educators are affected by this strike mandate. The CSN has 11,000 educators in its union.
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