The la Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), a prominent educational union, has announced an indefinite general strike that will commence on the 23rd of November. This decision was reached at a meeting attended by sixty delegates from FAE to evaluate a new proposal from Quebec’s government.
Members of the federation had previously voiced their approval of a strike mandate in September, placing the FAE in a unique position to initiate a limitless general strike without delay, unlike the inter-union common front and the FIQ.
Concerning the impending strike, President of FAE, Mélanie Hubert, opined, “The countdown has begun. The message being sent to Sonia LeBel, Bernard Drainville, and François Legault is that teachers are out of breath. No one chooses to go on strike lightly.”
The FAE has set a deadline for the strike to commence on November 23 to allow a three-week window for continued negotiations. According to FAE representatives, the initial offer made by Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel was deemed significantly inadequate.
LeBel’s proposal included a raise from a nine per cent salary increment over five years to 10.3 per cent within the same period. A lump-sum payment of $1,000, proposed earlier, was also unchanged. Additionally, the funds allocated for government priorities and incentives would increase to 3 per cent from the previous 2.5 per cent.
The FAE is an autonomous outfit that represents around 65,000 primary and secondary level teachers through its nine unions. These unions include the Alliance des professeurs de Montreal and various teacher unions situated in Montreal, Pointe-de-Lile, Laval, the Quebec City region, Outaouais, Syndicat de l’enseignement des Basses-Laurentides, Syndicat de l’enseignement des Seigneuries, and Syndicat de l’enseignement de la Haute-Yamaska.
