Quebec Daycare Workers Ratify Collective Agreements
Vigorous Mass Struggle in Defence of Workers' Rights and Services for the People
Striking daycare workers in Quebec return to their jobs today. The
Early Childhood Centres (ECC) sector of the Health and Social Services
Federation of Unions (FSSS-CSN) announced on December 12 that,
following dozens of general assemblies held between December 9 and 11,
the 11,000 ECC workers unionized with the Federation
voted 95 per cent in favour of adopting the tentative agreement reached
on December 8 between the government and the Federation's
representatives. This puts an end to the unlimited general strike that
started on December 1.
 Also on December 12, the Quebec Early Childhood Workers' Federation (FIPEQ-CSQ)
announced that the 3,200 daycare workers it represents voted 95.5 per
cent in general assemblies in support of adopting the December 8
tentative agreement. FIPEQ members had suspended their decision to go
on strike on December 9, while awaiting the vote results
on the tentative agreement.
The Syndicat des Métallos/United Steelworkers (USW) also announced
that workers at two ECCs it represents in Rouyn-Noranda in Abitibi and
Port-Cartier on the North Shore have ended their general strike begun
October 13, after voting 100 per cent in favour of the tentative
agreement reached with the government.
The Service Employees Union of Quebec (SQEES), an affiliate of the
Quebec Federation of Labour, has also reached a tentative agreement
that will be presented to its members later this week.
Although the unions were not negotiating in a common front, their demands and the gains they have made are similar.
Qualified educators and specialized educators have obtained a wage
increase of up to 18 per cent over three years, which brings their
wages more in line with what educators in schools are earning. For
staff in other job categories, such as educational consultants, food
service managers and disinfection and cleaning personnel, wage
increases
range from eight to 12.5 per cent, depending on the job category. The
government had initially offered them only six per cent.
In addition, workers will be receiving a recognition bonus of three
per cent of their pay for hours worked between April 1, 2020 and March
31, 2021.
The new collective agreement also provides for an additional three
hours dedicated to the preparation of the child's portfolio, as well as
measures improving the working conditions of food service workers. It
also restores two paid holidays and provides for the creation of a
committee whose mandate is to identify the difficulties experienced by
educators in integrating children with special needs.
However, the serious issue of child-to-educator ratios remains
unresolved. In the school system, there is a ratio of teachers to
children, based on age. For childcare centres the Ministry of Families
established a ratio of staff members to children, based on age, with a
staff member defined as someone "assigned to the implementation of the
educational program for the children" but the way the ratio is applied
in many of the centres is as a "building ratio," the ratio of all the
workers in the building to the number of children, irrespective of the
fact that many of those workers do not have any contact with the
children.
With their fight the workers' aim is to resolve the problem of
attracting and retaining staff and ensuring the sustainability of the
daycare centres, which has been threatened by the unacceptable
conditions imposed on workers for many years. They thanked parents for
their support throughout their mass actions to obtain satisfaction for
their just
demands.
Workers' Forum congratulates the daycare workers for their
determined mass struggle in defence of their rights and of the services
provided to the population.
This article was published in
December 13, 2021 - No. 119
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO081191.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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