Quebec school support staff threaten to walk off the job
CTV
School support workers in Quebec are threatening to go on strike in a matter of weeks, as more than half say they can't afford to pay for the basics of living. From 2020 to 2021, the average salary of a school support staff employee was $24,284 a year, says Andrea Di Tomaso, a spokesperson with the Fédération des employées et employés de services publics (FEESP-CSN).
School support workers in Quebec are threatening to go on strike in a matter of weeks, as more than half say they can't afford to pay for the basics of living.
From 2020 to 2021, the average salary of a school support staff employee was $24,284 a year, says Andrea Di Tomaso, a spokesperson with the Fédération des employées et employés de services publics (FEESP-CSN).
"It's either we starve now and have a strike... or we starve later on," she said.
Amid stalled contract talks, the union released the results of a survey of over 7,000 support workers, detailing the economic insecurity they experience.
Among the worrying statistics, 52 per cent say they can no longer afford basic monthly expenses like housing, food, and electricity.
Seventy-eight per cent say they are living paycheque to paycheque, and 12 per cent say they are looking for work in the private sector.
"We're the foundation of the entire school system. Everything is built upon support staff, and if they aren't there and there are less than there were, then there's no schools," said Di Tomaso.
