Teachers’ indefinite strike over in Quebec after tentative deal reached

A Quebec union representing 40 per cent of teachers is ending its weeks-long walkout after reaching a tentative agreement with the province.

The Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), which represents some 66,000 teachers, announced the move late Thursday.

Teachers with the FAE have been on strike since Nov. 23, shuttering about 800 schools across Quebec. If students return to school after the holidays and as scheduled in January, they will have been away from classes for almost seven consecutive weeks.

The union said it spent the day analyzing the proposed deal and that its council will recommend it to its members for approval during general assemblies after the holiday break.

The FAE called the deal a “new step” but it said “it is up to teachers to respond to François Legault’s government and to what whether they feel they have been heard.”

In the meantime, all of the pressure tactics — including the indefinite strike — are now over, according to the union.

1:59 Two major Quebec unions representing public sector workers have reached tentative agreements on working conditions

Details of the proposed agreement have not been released, but the Quebec Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel and Education Minister Bernard Drainville confirmed the two sides have reached a consensus on both salaries and working conditions.

In a statement issued Friday, LeBel’s office said the “various measures will make it possible to offer better services to students and promote their academic success” with improvements to both salaries and working conditions like class size and workload.

The breakthrough at the bargaining table came after a negotiation blitz during the holiday break, stopping only for Christmas day. The FAE, which took a hard line with the indefinite walkout, was negotiating separately from other unions.

The Quebec government has also struck a tentative deal with the Common Front, a labour alliance of four public sector unions. It represents 420,000 workers in the education and health sectors. Since November, they held sporadic walkouts for a total of 11 strike days.

Meanwhile, about 80,000 nurses and other health-care professionals are still without an agreement.

The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) confirmed Thursday that talks with the government are in progress. The FIQ said it submitted a new counteroffer to the province and awaits a response.

— with files from The Canadian Press and Global’s Gloria Henriquez