A province-wide public sector strike kicked off in Quebec on Nov. 21 that will see schools, daycares, and health and social services affected.<\/p>\n
Covering the strike mandate at the local level, CIDI went to Massey-Vanier High-school on Tuesday and spoke with teacher Justin Forster, union representative for the school; and Tamara Porter, member of the schools\u2019 support staff and union representative for the Townships Regional Union of Support Staff. They spoke about the challenges that teachers and support staff are facing in the classroom.<\/p>\n
The Front commun syndical,<\/a>\u00a0which represents a collective of unions and over 420 000 teachers, school support staff and health care professionals and other unions like the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration interprofessionnelle de la sant\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec\u00a0<\/a>(FIQ) and the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration autonome de l'enseignement (FAE),<\/a> have been at the negotiation tables with the Quebec provincial government over the course of this year. Members of these unions are asking for better working conditions, better wages, more resources, and further investment in the education and healthcare system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After rejecting the government\u2019s most recent offer, members of the Front commun syndical walked the picket line on Tuesday. The unions are expected to strike up until Nov. 23 if a new deal is not reached before then and they are asking for the provincial government to take their demands seriously.<\/p>\n