CPE: the agreement in principle adopted by the union members of the CSN at 93%
Childcare workers are far from having a smile on their face.
The 11,000 childcare workers unionized with the CSN adopted by 93% the agreement in principle reached last Wednesday between the government and the spokespersons of the Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS-CSN). This decision thus puts an end to the indefinite general strike that members of the CSN have been carrying out since December 1.
“It was not an easy negotiation, but we managed to make several advances thanks to the solidarity and determination of our members,” said Stéphanie Vachon, representative of the childcare sector at the FSSS-CSN, in a press release. . Negotiation always involves compromise and this is no exception, but we can be proud of the way we conducted this historic negotiation. ”
The union center is pleased that the representatives of the FSSS-CSN were notably able to obtain a salary catch of 18% for qualified educators and specialized educators, as well as increases varying between 8% and 12.5% for the other appellations of & # 8217. ; jobs, for which the government would initially have offered only 6%. FSSS-CSN members will also obtain a recognition bonus equivalent to 3% of the remuneration for hours worked between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021.
The new collective agreement will also provide for the addition of three hours dedicated to the preparation of the child's file and eight hours granted to food managers for kitchen management. The recovery of two additional statutory holidays and the creation of a committee whose mandate is to identify the main difficulties experienced by educators in terms of the integration of children with special needs are also among the advances obtained by the CSN after the launch of his indefinite general strike.
“We hope that the progress made thanks to our combativeness will make it possible to ensure the sustainability of the network and to convince the workers to stay there,” explains Lucie Longchamps, vice-president of the FSSS-CSN. The question of the ratios of children per educator remains unanswered, however, but Minister Lacombe has said he is ready to work with us to find a solution to this problem. We will therefore continue to lead this fight on another ground in order to obtain satisfaction. ”
In a tweet published Sunday morning, the CAQ Family Minister, Mathieu Lacombe said he was very happy that the FSSS-CSN members accept the agreement in principle that he describes as historic.
“As I said: all staff members are essential. We are going to need everyone to finally complete our network of childcare services, ”he wrote. (FIPEQ-CSQ) as well as the Federation of Workers of Quebec (FTQ), which were not on strike, must also vote on the agreement in principle with the government.
More details to come.
