The Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers: We are here and we will be heard!

The teachers' collective agreement expires on Friday, March 31: The government lays down a second proposal that ignores teachers' priorities and excludes high school, adult and vocational training teachers.

MONTREAL, QB / ACCESSWIRE / March 31, 2023 / On Friday, March 31, teachers from the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT) in the English sector will gather in front of their schools and centres to underscore the end of their collective agreement and let the public know that public education is a priority. We are here and we will be heard!

The teachers' priorities in this round of negotiations are: attraction and retention of teachers, classroom composition, workload and working conditions, professional autonomy, resources to support students with special needs, as well as solutions in the adult education and vocational training sectors. Negotiations began in mid-January, but there has been very little movement on the part of the government. The union has presented clear demands, made on behalf of teachers, which have been met with vague responses and few questions. Up to now, the government has not presented any precise demands or solutions.

The government had formulated offers mid-February through the Forums, outside of the legal framework of the negotiations, suggesting the introduction of classroom assistants (aides à la classe) for elementary schools. Earlier this week, it reiterated the same offer, while increasing the number of classroom assistants and suggesting that unions let go of all of their other key demands. This only further demonstrates the government's gross misunderstanding of the needs of our public education system.

As previously stated, QPAT believes that the proposed implementation of "classroom assistants" is a solution worth considering as a possible way of alleviating some pressure in our elementary schools, but it certainly does not address many of the challenges experienced within our public education system. Furthermore, there are no proposals to improve the workload of teachers in high school, adult education and vocational training. Teachers continue to be the ones holding it together despite the increasingly difficult conditions in which they practice their profession. Teachers have spoken and their demands are clear - the government must address them to find real solutions.

"Our negotiators have been presenting our demands which are clear and detailed and the government has been presenting issues without solutions or precise demands. If they truly want to value the profession, they should be listening carefully to our needs. If we want to attract and retain teachers, we need to improve the workload and treat teachers as true professionals. We are ready to stand together and have our voices heard." - QPAT President Heidi Yetman.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NEGOTIATIONS, GO TO QPAT-APEQ.QC.CA

The Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers represents all teachers working in Quebec's English public sector. QPAT is 8000+ members strong and works to protect the individual rights and the collective good of all teachers. Established in 1864, QPAT is Canada's oldest union.

Media Contact:

Julie Montpetit
julie_montpetit@qpat-apeq.qc.ca
514-249-9653

SOURCE: Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers