Looming daycare strike to affect 21,000 children across Quebec on Monday

More than 21,000 children across Quebec may not be able to go to daycare on Monday, as early childhood educators are expected to go on strike barring a last-minute change.

Negotiations between the provincial government and the union representing childcare workers at non-profit daycare centres in Quebec stalled on Thursday and have not picked up since.

• Quebec child-care workers at 400 daycares vote in favour of strike mandate
• Quebec daycares threaten closures over cuts to provincial funding

A strike seems inevitable as both sides are placing the blame on each other for the breakdown in talks.

Changes to retirement system proposed

Louise Labrie, a spokesperson for the CSN, the labour federation representing some 11,000 workers in 400 early childhood education centres (CPEs) in Quebec, has accused the government of being inflexible when it comes to the demands it places on the workers.

Quebec's Ministry of Families wants to push the age of retirement from 60 to 61 or for employees to pay part of future deficits in the retirement system, a demand Labrie said was impossible.

The CSN says it proposed other solutions, but the ministry refused to consider them.

"They're telling us that we're unflinching in our positions, but it's them," Labrie told the Canadian Press.

"Our system is doing very well. There is no reason to ask for these changes, unless it's for ideological reasons."

Trading blame

Reached by phone, Karl Filion, a spokesperson for the Quebec families minister, Luc Fortin, reiterated what Fortin said in a press release last week.

In the statement, the government blamed the union for "sticking to its positions," and said it was willing to negotiate "day and night" if necessary.

"The last negotiation sessions were very positive and allowed us to solve the vast majority of the clauses. I'm confident that the parties will be able to settle the remaining clauses," Fortin said in the statement.

Labrie said, however, that the union will not go back to the negotiating table until the government puts aside the two proposals for the retirement plan.

"On all other subjects, we're ready to negotiate. They can call us, we're available, our calendar is open," Labrie said.

Rotating strike days left

After the strike day planned on Monday, the workers will go back to their daycare centres on Tuesday to celebrate Halloween with the children.

It is difficult to know what will happen after that since the union has a rotating strike mandate.

"There will be five remaining strike days left, but it will depend on whether [the government] moves or not," Labrie said.

"Right now, we don't know when we will use those [strike] days."