Quebec public sector strike: Unions see 'momentum' in talks on Day 2 of walkout
CTV
Striking Quebec public sector unions said Wednesday they were hopeful a recently appointed conciliator will help advance contract negotiations with the government, but both sides accused each other of refusing to compromise.
Striking Quebec public sector unions said Wednesday they were hopeful a recently appointed conciliator will help advance contract negotiations with the government, but both sides accused each other of refusing to compromise.
Four unions representing around 420,000 workers, including teachers and health-care staff, were on Day 2 of a three-day strike that has shut schools and delayed surgeries. Calling themselves the "common front," the four unions said they see a "momentum" in negotiations.
A conciliator met with common front leadership Monday and was still at work on Tuesday, with the assistance of a second conciliator, said Francois Enault, a vice-president of the Confederation of National Trade Unions, a common front member. Discussions are set to resume on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday in Quebec City, he told reporters.
"What we've been hearing since (Tuesday) -- nothing has been settled -- but at the very least, a momentum is building," Enault said. "The conciliators are doing the job that we wanted them to do, to get the government to sit down and give us answers that we've been waiting months for."
Thousands more workers are set to join the common front on the picket lines. Federation Interprofessionnelle de la sante du Quebec, which represents 80,000 nurses and other health-care staff, plans to strike Thursday and Friday, further disrupting the health network. As well, 65,000 teachers with Federation Autonome de l'Enseignement are launching an unlimited general strike Thursday.
Eric Gingras, president of Centrale des syndicats du Quebec, a common front member, told reporters Wednesday the government is negotiating in public.
"The government has been talking through social media, through media, about getting a deal done before Christmas, but at (the bargaining table) we don't see that willpower," Gingras said.
