Media advisory - Kativik School Board on strike on April 28 - The AENQ-CSQ and the SPPOM will demonstrate in front of the Montréal head office

MONTRÉAL, April 27, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Teachers, education professionals and support staff of the Kativik School Board—affiliated with the Association des employés du Nord québécois (AENQ-CSQ) and the Syndicat des professionnelles et professionnels des commissions scolaires de l'Ouest de Montréal (SPPOM)—will be on strike this Wednesday, April 28, to express frustration over the slow pace of negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreements.

A demonstration will also take place from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in front of the Kativik School Board head office located at 9800 Cavendish Blvd in Saint-Laurent. Larry Imbeault, president of the AENQ-CSQ, and Carolane Desmarais, president of the SPPOM, will address the demonstrators. They will also be available for interviews.

Unacceptable offers for teachers and support staff

The president of the AENQ-CSQ, Larry Imbeault, who represents teachers and support staff from Kativik School Board schools, repeats his union's main demands: "The shortage of teachers and support staff gravely affects teaching and learning conditions in these Northern communities. There are real consequences for the students' success rates, and this is very unfortunate."

Larry Imbeault adds that this situation is not irreversible. "Things can be improved, provided that the government has the willingness to take action for the good of the students. We just need to adopt measures that will attract and retain existing staff," said the AENQ-CSQ president.

No openness to education professionals' requests

For her part, Carolane Desmarais, president of the SPPOM, explains that the demands are simple and not exaggerated. "We want a fairer agreement between our members, whether they are hired in the South or in a Nunavik community. We also want to be able to defend our members' rights by incorporating current practices into the agreement; these inclusions would not cost the employer anything more, but are refused outright."

Carolane Desmarais specifies that the offer currently on the table is clearly insufficient to meet the needs of students, which significantly exceed the professional resources in place. "The offer is a waste of time. We have specific solutions to attract and retain professionals, e.g., reimburse professional membership dues, limit precarious status positions, increase bereavement leave flexibility to better adapt to Northern realities, but the other side does not want to hear them," criticizes the president of the SPPOM.

About the CSQ

The CSQ represents more than 200 000 members, including approximately 125 000 education staff. The CSQ has 11 federations that include some 240 affiliated unions, in addition to the AREQ (CSQ), the Association des retraitées et retraités de l'éducation et des autres services publics du Québec. The CSQ is also active in the health and social services, early childhood education services, municipal, recreation, culture, community and communications sectors.

SOURCE ASSOCIATION OF EMPLOYEES OF NORTHERN QUEBEC (AENQ-CSQ)

Claude Girard, Communications advisor, Cell: 514 237-4432, Email: [email protected]