Quebec ready to raise wages now as daycare strikes continue
CTV
Believing that it is 'urgent to act,' Quebec is ready to pay the proposed increases to daycare workers, both unionized and non-unionized, immediately.
Family Minister Mathieu Lacombe and Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel made the announcement Thursday at a joint press conference in Quebec City.
In general, Quebec is offering a 12 per cent increase over three years for qualified educators only. Other child-care workers would receive less.
The increase can be as much as 17 per cent -- through a lump sum -- for those who agree to increase their work week to 40 hours. Currently, the work week ranges from 32 to 36 hours.
Minister LeBel insisted that the negotiation is not over, although she is prepared to pay the offered increases now, both in public CPEs and in subsidized private child care centres.
