Union representatives accuse the government of dragging its feet on negotiations for a new contract
About 3,000 unionized employees in Quebec’s government-run daycares will not start work until noon on Friday as their ongoing pressure campaign continues.
The daycares disrupted by the tactic are in the regions of Montreal, the Montérégie, Laval, Lanaudière, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Chaudière-Appalaches, Quebec City and the Eastern Townships.
The employees are members of the CSQ-affiliated Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance (FIPEQ), and Friday’s delayed openings are their fourth work action since mid-November.
On Thursday, union representatives met with opposition MNAs to plead their cause, accusing the government of dragging its feet on negotiations for a new contract after the previous agreement expired on March 31, 2023.
The main sticking points in the contract talks are salaries. The FIPEQ says the government has offered a 12.7 per cent pay raise over five years, while other public sector workers received 17.4 per cent over five years.
The negotiations are taking place during a labour shortage in the daycare network and as pressure builds on the government to increase the number of daycare spots available.