Hundreds of thousands of Quebec public sector workers vow further strike action

Over 420,000 Quebec public sector workers engaged in strike action on Monday, November 6 in one of the largest since the general strike of 1972.

Like that strike more than 50 years ago, the unions representing these workers have joined together as a Front Commun (Common Front in English).

The Front Commun is made up of the following unions: The Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), the Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS) and the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ). Together they represent teachers, nurses, social service workers and many other provincial government employees.

The unions are looking for better wages and conditions across the public service sector and most recently rejected a government offer made on October 28.

That offer, which included a pay increase of 10.3 per cent over five years, was met with outrage by the Front Commun, who point out that the Quebec National Assembly gave its elected members a pay increase of $30,000 a year earlier this year and the provincial police, the Sûreté du Québec a 21 per cent increase.

According to the union, this rate of pay increase would mean an effective pay cut, due to inflation. According to the Front Commun’s projections, inflation would be more than seven per cent higher than the wage increase offered by the government.

READ MORE: Quebec public sector workers face cuts as negotiations press on

More strikes coming

On Monday, the Front Commun stated that unless a deal can be reached, three more strike dates are planned from Tuesday, November 21 to Thursday, November 23.

“For a period of 72 consecutive hours, everything in Quebec will be closed for three days,” said CSN vice-president François Enault at a press conference on Monday.

Beyond the issues around pay, the Front Commun is also seeking additional assurances from the government on issues of pensions and parental leave.
“Right now, we’ve trimmed our demands at all the sectoral tables. But one thing is certain: workers’ expectations are high,” reads a statement from the Front Commun.