In Quebec, hundreds of thousands of public sector employees did not go to work
The massive strike by public employees affected the entire province.
A group of four unions calling themselves the Common Front, representing some 420,000 public sector workers, is continuing its three-day strike from Nov. 21 to 23.
Hundreds of thousands of employees of state-owned enterprises in Quebec are hard to ignore. Education and health care workers are among the strikers, and for the second day in the province, many schools have been closed and scheduled operations have been postponed.
What do the strikers want?
This question is briefly answered by Éric Gingras, president of one of the "Common Front" unions, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ):
"What's missing? Real interest from the government to be talking to us, to be trying to find a way to get a deal done."
Josée Frechette, vice president of the health care workers union, told reporters Tuesday that workers want extra pay for night and weekend shifts, as well as more vacation time.
At the moment, the provincial government is only offering a 10.3% wage increase over five years and a one-time payment of CA$ 1,000 to each worker, which the strikers agree is not enough because it doesn't even cover inflation.
How are the authorities responding?
Union leaders say the strike has moved things forward. The Quebec government has appointed a conciliator who has already met with representatives of all four unions (FTQ, APTS, CSN, CSQ) and talks have moved to a constructive stage.
Despite this positive momentum, however, the unions are not yet emboldened and are awaiting a more acceptable offer from the Treasury Board, which represents the state's side of the bargaining table.
What happens after the strike?
In case the three-day strike does not bring the expected results, the Common Front expresses its intention to continue the struggle. Specific decisions will be made according to the situation, at a later date — most likely after the weekend.
In any case, however, the Legault government should not expect any relaxation. No sooner will the Common Front end its strike than a separate union representing some 80,000 nurses and other health workers will begin their strike. They plan to strike on Thursday and Friday — Nov. 23 and 24. Also on Nov. 23, the 65,000-member teachers' union will begin a general and already indefinite strike.
