public daycares

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Workers at 16 public daycares (CPEs) across Quebec launched their first full-day strikes last week, marking a dramatic shift from previous shorter demonstrations. The strike involved some 500 workers affiliated with the Quebec Syndicate of Public Service Employees (SQEES-FTQ), who have scheduled additional walkouts through December with the next coming on the 18th. Their mandate includes an unlimited strike if necessary.

This latest action represents a significant escalation from previous tactics, which until now were limited to partial-day walkouts. The dispute centres primarily on wages, with qualified entry-level educators earning $21.60 per hour, while some CPE workers receive as little as $18 per hour, resulting in average annual salaries around $45,000.

The escalation follows three consecutive weeks of labour action by approximately 3,000 workers aligned with the Federation of Early Childhood Workers (FIPEQ-CSQ). These workers have implemented a strategy of progressively later openings each Friday, with centres opening at 10 a.m., planning to push these times later until their demands are met.

“We have no choice but to take it to this level,” according to Stéphanie Vachon, CPE sector representative, pointing to critical staffing shortages plaguing the industry. Vachon says that the crisis has reached a breaking point, with existing staff struggling under mounting workloads.

The heart of the dispute lies in wage disparities and government proposals that unions consider inadequate. The government’s offer of a 12.7% wage increase over five years falls notably short of the 17.4% increase recently secured by other public sector workers. While the Treasury Board maintains that pressure tactics are coming solely from the unions, they’ve noted that higher increases in other sectors were tied to agreements on workplace flexibility.

The impact on families is becoming increasingly severe, particularly as the holiday season approaches. Parents are being asked to make alternative arrangements for childcare on strike days, with many facing the challenge of balancing work commitments against unpredictable daycare operations. n