If the government does not put interesting offers on the table to unblock negotiations, the CSN announces that it will consult its unions in search of a new strike mandate. The approximately 13,000 workers affiliated with the CSN are on strike for a third day across Quebec. They are gathering in front of their CPEs to make themselves heard.

The CSN, which represents 80% of unionized CPE workers, denounces the slow pace of negotiations. While support from parents, CPE management and the public is accumulating, the government continues to move at a snail's pace. Since there are two days left in the five-day strike bank, the CSN unions will meet in the coming days to discuss the next strike mandate to adopt. Longer strike sequences could be held soon, unless an agreement in principle is reached.

Another day of strike action that demonstrates the determination of CPE workers

The government continues to bring several demands for a step back to the bargaining table. At a time when staff shortages are hitting the sector hard, the CSN believes that these steps back must be withdrawn in order to improve working conditions and wages. In this negotiation, the workers are asking for:

a lighter workload;
better pay to ensure attraction and retention;
regional disparity bonuses for employees in certain remote regions;
measures to improve the quality of services to children, including clearly defined and respected ratios between the number of educators and children, as well as better support for children with special needs.
"We have three days of negotiations coming up on February 20, 21 and 25. If the government still doesn't get the message, we're going to step up the pressure and get a new strike mandate. The workers are determined to get their jobs better valued," says Stéphanie Vachon, CPE representative for the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN).

"There's a huge wave of support for CPE workers. It's a network that Quebecers care about a lot. Why do we always have to strike so that women can make themselves heard by this government?" explains Lucie Longchamp, Vice-President responsible for the private sectors at the FSSS-CSN.

"We're starting to understand the Legault government's way of doing things: when it has to negotiate in women's employment environments, it drags its feet. These workers have been without a collective agreement for almost two years. What is the government waiting for to put what is needed on the table to better promote jobs in CPEs? "asks François Enault, First Vice-President of the CSN.

A strike across Quebec

The CSN represents more than 80% of unionized workers in CPEs. The strike affects all regions of Quebec, while the CSN is present in more than 400 CPEs. Here is the number of CSN-affiliated centres by region:

7 CPEs in Abitibi-Témiscamingue
12 CPEs in Bas-Saint-Laurent
10 CPEs on the Côte-Nord
22 CPEs in Centre-du-Québec and Mauricie
36 CPEs in Estrie
12 CPEs in Gaspésie and the Magdalen Islands
11 CPEs in Lanaudière
25 CPEs in the Laurentians
51 CPEs in Montérégie
112 CPEs in Montreal and Laval
23 CPEs in Outaouais
64 CPEs in Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches
31 CPEs in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

About

The Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN) is the largest union organization in the early childhood centre (CPE) sector in Quebec. It represents 80% of unionized CPEs, or nearly 13,000 workers.

Founded in 1921, the CSN is a union organization that works for a united, democratic, fair, equitable and sustainable society. As such, it engages in several debates that interest Quebec society. It brings together more than 330,000 workers united on a sectoral or professional basis in 8 federations, as well as on a regional basis in 13 central councils, mainly in Quebec.