English teachers across Quebec have voted in favour of a new contract offer after an agreement in principle with the provincial government on Dec. 28.
The agreement came after widespread public sector strikes by teachers and health-care workers amid negotiations that dragged on for a year.
The Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT), representing 8,000 teachers in the province, negotiated under the umbrella of the common front — an alliance of public sector unions.
QPAT president Steven Steven Le Sueur said Tuesday that its teachers voted 72 per cent in favour of clauses negotiated by the common front. That includes a 17.4 per cent salary increase over five years.
But when it comes to the sectorial agreement, which are clauses that apply to teachers only, only 61 per cent of teachers voted in favour.
Le Sueur said teachers are disappointed with the final offer, especially when it comes to added resources in the classroom, class composition and workload.
He feels the government missed an opportunity to look at and address issues that would make the profession more attractive and would help retain teachers amid a provincewide shortage.
“They had an opportunity to make the classroom a better place to be and they really just didn’t make it,” Le Sueur said.
“There’s some gains, but nothing that’s going to change in the near future.”
The FAE teachers union, with more than 66,000 members, also announced last week that it had narrowly accepted a labour agreement with the province.
The union, not part of the common front, was the only one to launch an unlimited general strike that kept some students home for over a month.
Négos FAE: Nous prenons acte du résultat et soulignons qu'il s'agit d'une entente négociée qui répond à des enjeux importants de part et d'autre: on vient améliorer les services, les conditions de travail, l'organisation du travail et les salaires. 1/3
— Sonia LeBel (@slebel19) February 2, 2024
In reaction to the narrow vote, Treasury Board president Sonia Lebel posted a thread on X, emphasizing that the agreement was the result of negotiations addressing key challenges.
“We are improving services, working conditions, organization of work and salaries,” she wrote in French.
She also admitted, however, that negotiations can’t fix everything.
“We will build on the progress made and continue working on certain aspects such as class composition, for example,” she said, adding that the teachers’ message had been heard.
Lebel said she wouldn’t comment further on the topic, citing ongoing votes with other teachers’ unions.
Le Sueur lamented the fact that it took a year to reach a deal and that strike action was necessary.
“I think the strike helped our negotiators at the table and in the end, it is our only true method to get the government and make them move on negotiations,” he said.
“Unfortunately, everybody suffers: kids, teachers, parents.”
On Tuesday, Education Minister Bernard Drainville said he’s confident students will have made up for lost time by the summer and that his $300-million catch-up plan, announced at the beginning of January, was on track and going well.
Quebec to spend $300M to bring students up to speed after lost class time during teachers strike
