Quebec Public Workers Enact Rotating Strikes — This week Quebec public sector workers—thousands of teachers, health care workers, support staff—began a series of rotating strikes to bring attention to stalled negotiations with the provincial government over public sector agreements that expired in March. The Common Front, uniting Quebec’s largest labor unions and the union of public employees, represents around 400,000 workers. Common Front is seeking a 13.5% salary increase (4.5% per year for three years), while the government has proposed a two-year salary freeze, followed by three years of 1% salary increases.
“We don’t believe the negotiations are moving forward, particularly at the head table, where the government has not budged an inch on its initial offer,” says Confederation of National Trade Unions President Jacques Letourneau in a The Globe and Mail article. “The negotiation process is not broken, we continue to hope the strike days this week will cause the Quebec Treasury Board to move.” Unless progress is made, rotating strikes will continue in November and December.