What's in the tentative deal between the FAE teachers' union and Quebec? - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 03:34 AM | Calgary | -1.0°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Montreal

What's in the tentative deal between the FAE teachers' union and Quebec?

More support and higher salaries are on the table in the FAE's tentative agreement with the Quebec government, but some say it's not enough.

More support and higher salaries are on the table

Striking teachers holding red FAE union flags
Teachers with the FAE union went on strike for 22 days before reaching a tentative agreement with Quebec. Members are set to vote in the coming weeks. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

An agreement in principlereached between the Quebec government and aunion that represents about 66,000 teachers includes$33.3 million to help reduce the workload for some teachers, Radio-Canada has learned.

TheFdrationautonome de l'enseignement(FAE) had askedQuebec for changes to classroom composition, essentially requesting more help in the classroom, particularly for students with difficulties.

The sum includes $19.1 million for primary schools to have extra resources for evaluating students with learning challenges. At the high school level, $14.2 million is earmarked for the same purpose.

At the preschool level, an annual sum of $5.3 million will be allocated for the addition of part-time resources in disadvantaged areas.

The tentative agreement says 4,000 new classroom aides will be added, with bonuses ranging from $4,000 to $8,000 for some teachers who have a majority of students with learning difficulties.

The province says it will work to eliminate lunchtime and recess supervision for teachers, pay teachers for five hours of planning per week and hire more than 5,000 new teachers.

Philippa Parks, an assistant professor at the Universit de Sherbrooke's faculty of education, says that means "a lot of unpaid work is now being recognized as part of important teacher tasks and is being compensated."

She says creating new teacher contracts will make it easier for teachers to get tenure-track positions.

Teachers will get a 17.4 percent pay increase over fiveyears, after 22 days of strikes without normal pay.

But some aren't happy with the agreement in principle.

High school teacher Reuben Ramsay says he doesn't think the outcome "matches that level of sacrifice" teachers made while on strike.

The deal still has to be presented to the majority of the FAE's 66,500 members, who will have to ratify it in the next few weeks for it to take effect.

Corrections

  • A previous version of this story said the Fdration autonome de l'enseignement (FAE) made smaller class sizes a central demand in their negotiations with Quebec. In fact, the unions demand centred on class composition extra resources in the classroom and making sure teachers can more easily manage students with difficulties.
    Jan 15, 2024 11:08 AM ET

With files from Chloe Ranaldi and Radio-Canada