Quebec labour federation wants conciliation, cites impasse in daycare negotiations

The labour federation representing 400 publicly-funded daycares in Quebec, known as CPEs, and some 13,000 workers has filed a request for conciliation. 

In a news release Friday, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) said it was opting for conciliation to resolve an impasse in negotiations. 

The CSN, the umbrella organization for the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS) — which is a smaller federation made up of the unions that represent the workers at those 400 subsidized daycares —  said it's hoping to reach an agreement that will lead to improved working conditions and compensation, and as a result, alleviate staffing shortages in the daycare network.

Childhood educators in the province have taken part in 13 strike days since January, but the union has held off on launching an unlimited general strike despite having the mandate to do so. 

"Our 13 days of strikes have allowed us to make progress at the bargaining table, but it is clear that the government refuses to take active action to curb the staff shortage," reads a statement from Stéphanie Vachon, a representative of the FSSS-CSN. 

Negotiations with the provincial government to renew collective agreements have been ongoing for several months. The Treasury Board submitted offers to all unions representing daycare workers in May 2024 and settled with those under the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) and the Fédérations des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) in December.

The government has offered CSN childhood educators a 17.4 per cent increase in salary over five years, and is holding firm on that number, but the union believes there are other ways to address what it says are salary inequities within the public sector.

"We are therefore in solution mode with this request for conciliation. We absolutely must improve what is on the table to put more money in the pockets of workers," added Vachon in the news release.

In a written statement to CBC News, the Treasury Board said that, like the CSN, it wants to reach an agreement in principle as soon as possible and welcomes solutions that can help achieve that goal.

The Treasury Board reiterated that the same offer that was made to the FSSS-CSN had been accepted and ratified by other unions representing child-care staff.

That being said, the government is open "to taking into account different regional realities and making adjustments, while respecting the established framework," the statement reads.