On Wednesday morning, the teachers’ strike was disturbed by a deliberate action of a 54-year-old Sherbrooke man. The female teacher was picketing alongside her colleagues in Sherbrooke, Quebec when a vehicle broke the picketing line and struck her.
It was around 9:30 am when the incident happened just outside her high school. Sherbrook police spokesperson said that the woman escaped with minor injuries. The man was later apprehended in his home but was released on a promise to appear in court.
The suspect is thought to have a connection to the school and is probably a father to a student in the school. The teacher union condemned the action terming it as unacceptable.
Early Wednesday, thousands of teachers across Quebec held protests which began at midnight and lasted until 9:30 a.m. since March 2020, teachers have been serving without a contract.
In a phone interview, Robert Pigas, a grade 5 and 6 teacher at St. Patrick Elementary west of Montreal said that the strike is not only about salary. He added that despite being the lowest paid in Canada, teachers want better working conditions. That will include smaller class sizes and allocation of more resources to special need students.
“We have more kids that require more time, and we’re still split up between all our students.”
He adds that parents are also supporting them either by join them in the picket line or keeping their children out of online classes. The teacher union also said that the strike is meant to pressure the management without affecting students.
The union spokesperson said that the government has a fair offer to the public sector. He added that now is the time for the government to reach an agreement with the various unions.
