By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The staff of Champlain College Lennoxville, a public English-language CEGEP in the Townships, are on strike from Nov. 21 to 23. This action, part of the Common Front, a coalition of Quebec public sector unions, is a response to government proposals deemed insufficient by the staff and aims to advocate for access to quality collegiate education across the region.
Participating are the Champlain College Lennoxville Teaching Union (SECCL), Support Staff Union (SPSCCL), and Professional Staff Union (APCCL). The strike began at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and is being held at Champlain College Lennoxville.
The SECCL represents over 100 teachers and is part of the College Teachers Alliance (ASPPC), which unites 61 teaching staff unions across Quebec. The SPSCCL Represents over 20 employees in various administrative and technical roles. The APCCL is comprised of 13 members, including advisors and social workers, focusing on student welfare.
This strike underscores the staff’s stated commitment to maintaining high standards in collegiate education. The unions, part of a broader alliance representing over 420,000 public sector workers in Quebec, are negotiating with the stated goal of avoiding impoverishment and promoting equitable access to education.
Maxime Chaput Dupuy, APPCL President, explained that they are striking in an effort to improve their working conditions. There has been a large turnover in employees among CEGEPs in Quebec, he continued; Champlain Lennoxville is a “young” group and has been affected just the same. Their major goal is simply to retain professionals at the CEGEP level.
The central question is one of pay – professionals with the same job can make much more money in the private sector. This “pay gap” affects retention, since, with many trades, one can make 15 to 20 per cent more elsewhere.
Inflation has outpaced wage increases, and they have not been able to maintain their purchasing power, he said. The government’s current offer is a 1.5 per cent increase for next year, but the recent inflation rate is 7 per cent. This renders their position “unstable”, and they are insisting on fighting for an offer that “would make up for the losses of the past few years”. Other issues on the table include flexibility of working schedules and “relief” for time worked as representatives of their respective unions.
Dupuy emphasized that the government has more than enough money to pay for what they are asking. He stated that the APPCL has a good working relationship with their local management, which is not at issue.
SECCL President Brigitte Robert confirmed that the strike is a response to “the lack of movement at the negotiating table”. The government’s offer of a 10 per cent increase in salaries over the next five years is “not reasonable”, does not even keep pace with inflation, and the government push for later retirement dates penalizes employees instead of incentivizing them to stay longer at their jobs.
The Common Front is demanding a $100 per week immediate increase in pay, or an increase equal to the current inflation rate, for all members, plus two, three and four per cent salary increases over the next three years respectively.
After the planned Nov. 21-23 strike days, the Common Front must give the government legal notice to strike again. If notice is given Nov. 24, the next strike could start as early as Dec. 5. The Fédération Autonome de l’Enseignement (FAE), a separate teacher’s union, is starting a general unlimited strike this Thursday, she said, and it is part of the mandate voted by the Common Front last October that they would be willing to do the same.
The Common Front recently took another measure towards a resolution of their negotiation woes – a demand for conciliation was “deposited” Nov. 16. This amounts to the request for a mediator to sit down at the table with both parties to facilitate a solution – it has been accepted. There is a lot of “media spin” by the CAQ government, Robert claimed, putting forward the idea the Common Front is simply unwilling to budge, but the opposite is true.
“Adjusting to inflation is the minimum,” Robert insisted. Without such an adjustment, public sector employees are, in effect, losing money year to year. But they expect more, she continued, since Quebec’s MNAs voted themselves a 30 per cent raise and the provincial police just received a 21 per cent increase themselves. “When you see that our offer is half of what was offered to the [provincial police], it is really insulting.”
The government has the means to meet their demands, Robert said, and austerity cannot be used as an excuse not to invest in public services. Investment is needed in the public sector, but she thinks the CAQ, comprised of “businessmen, businesswomen” from the private sector, refuse to appreciate it. Public services are “broken and need repair”.
Robert emphasized her union is not doing this because its members do not love their jobs, but because they want to be able to do their jobs better and devote more time and attention to every student in their classrooms. She invites the students and community to show solidarity and “come say ‘hi’” to those on the picket lines.
The Champlain unions are planning a “big human chain” event in partnership with the Eastern Township School Board unions for Nov. 22, wherein a human chain will be formed from the Champlain Lennoxville building all the way to Lennoxville Elementary School.
Visit profsennego.com for insights into the teachers’ negotiation process and the broader implications for Quebec’s educational landscape.