Estrie Region witnesses massive public sector strike and demonstration

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

In a significant show of solidarity, the Common Front public sector unions organized a major demonstration on Nov. 23 in Sherbrooke, which commenced at 10:30 a.m. This event marked the culmination of the recent three strike days and saw a large turnout (numbering in the thousands) from both the striking workers and the wider Estrie community.

The provincial government faced significant pressure as over 420,000 workers from the Common Front, comprising CSN, CSQ, FTQ, and APTS, with 25,000 members in the Estrie region, went on a three-day strike from Nov. 21 to 23. This collective action highlighted the mounting tensions in public sector negotiations.

Key figures such as Nathalie Arguin, General Secretary of CSN, Richard Bergevin, President of the Syndicat de l’Enseignement de l’Estrie (CSQ), Éric Bergeron, Union Advisor for SCFP (FTQ), and Danny Roulx, National Representative of the APTS, led the march that began from Cégep de Sherbrooke. The procession wound its way through the city streets, culminating in a series of speeches at the intersection of Wellington and King Streets.

The demonstration was not just a display of unity but also an educational platform, with statistics shared to better understand the stakes of the ongoing negotiations:

1) The average salary of Common Front public sector employees stands at $43,916.

2) They face a salary gap of -11.9 per cent and an overall compensation gap of -3.9 per cent.

3) Notably, women constitute 78 per cent of the Common Front’s membership.

The strike and demonstration were part of a broader movement by the CSN, CSQ, FTQ, and APTS, representing a considerable number of state workers in Quebec’s public sectors, including education, health, and social services, and higher education.

Nov. 23 demonstration

Speaking first to the massive crowd in the heart of Sherbrooke, and perched on a mobile platform parked in front of La Maison du Cinéma, Bergeron said, “all of Quebec is behind you!” We are fighting for better working conditions, he insisted. He led a chant of the Common Front’s official slogan: “Us! With one voice!”

“420,000 times ‘hello’!” Arguin shouted to resounding cheers. We are having the biggest chat with Premier Francois Legault that Canada has ever seen, she went on. “Legault is hearing our demands but is he listening?” she asked rhetorically. The 78 per cent women and the rest of the public sector employees, she said, exude professionalism and expertise, and are engaged.

The public sector is not an expense, but an investment, and the road to proper investment is at the negotiating table. They and the public deserve Legault’s full attention. Good public service begins with good working conditions, and they will continue in solidarity to make sure that happens.

Today we must recognize the part women play in the public sector, Roulx said. He works with women every day in a female-dominated occupation and sees the high quality of service they provide to the public, which must also be recognized. They occupy thousands of professions, they are everywhere. “We are all united… and will go until the end.”

Bergevin began by acknowledging the impressive turnout for the event. “Respect” should be cashed out in concrete terms, he said, like better pay and being paid for every hour worked. He emphasized that Legault needed them during the pandemic and “loved them a lot” during that time, but now considers them an expense. “What do you call someone who likes you just as long as he needs you?” Bergevin asked rhetorically, “I’ll let you decide.” Laughter rippled through the gathering. The public understood how important they were during the pandemic, he added, and 71 per cent of them support the Common Front now. “Solidarity!”

FAE union strike to cause local English school disruptions

In related news, the Fédération Autonome de l’Enseignement (FAE), a separate teacher’s union representing 65,000 members who work in the French school system, began an unlimited strike Nov. 23. The FAE includes the Centre de Services Scolaire Val-des-Cerfs, which jointly administers Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) schools Sutton Elementary, Massey-Vanier High School, and Campus Brome-Missisquoi Vocational Training Centre. ETSB staff have stated they will not cross the picket line at these schools, leading to additional service disruptions at these three locations.

“The FAE negotiates their own collective agreement,” said ETSB Appalachian Teachers’ Association President April Blampied. She noted that they are all teachers and share the same objectives, so they do not want to disrespect their fellow union and cross their picket lines. If they join the FAE strike out of solidarity it would be considered an illegal strike action, for which they could receive a hefty fine.

They are trying to come up with some creative ideas so the ETSB teachers can still work during the FAE strike. The ETSB teachers will still show up for work with the intention of working, she explained, but upon arriving will receive a directive from their leadership as to what other location they can work from.

Nov. 24 has recently been determined to be a “planning day” for the ETSB schools, making the FAE strike easier to deal with in the short term, since students will be staying home.

Blampied thinks a disruption of a week could be handled well through “tele-working”: emails, contact with parents, posting online activities for students all would continue. There is no time to prepare for online face-to-face teaching, she said.

If the strike continues past next week, she says ideas about relocating students are on the table. “I would not like to have to logistically take care of that,” she said, since finding an alternative appropriate spot for nearly 800 students would be very difficult to organize. Any extra childcare needs due to the disruption will be up to parents to deal with in whatever way they see fit.

“Changing our working conditions changes our students’ learning conditions,” Blampied stressed. No teacher wishes to be on strike, she insisted, and “put a pause on their students’ learning”. The alternative is losing teachers to burnout and stress-leave, and there is already a teacher shortage. “At this point, something needs to be done.”