Negotiations will continue between the Quebec government and female workers in 400 centres de la petite enfance (CPEs), but the threat of a strike is still on the table for next Monday, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) said.
Two days of meetings between the national negotiating committee of 11,000 CPE women workers and the Ministry of Family and employers associations ended on Wednesday, the CSN said in a press release.
The progress of the talks “does not justify suspending or cancelling the Oct. 30 strike as announced this week,” the trade union organization said.
A one-day strike could be organized on Monday, in 400 CPEs where CSN members work.
On Tuesday, the CSN indicated that in the event of the talks’ failure, the national bargaining committee could announce five more strike days.
The vice-president of the private sectors at the Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS-CSN), Dany Lacasse, lamented the slow pace of negotiations, noting the collective agreement expired more than two years ago.
The CSN says there have been 30 or so meetings to settle most of the non-monetary working conditions. However, discussions continue on issues related to the very mission of the CPEs.