Quebec schools once again hit by strike mandate

Education minister demands met with protests As Quebec’s education minister said it is mandatory for students to be back in class, protests continue.

MONTREAL — Quebec's education sector will once again be hit by a strike mandate this Wednesday.

About 10,000 union members with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) are planning to strike Wednesday morning, affecting several school service centres across the province.

In addition, 6,300 CEGEP support staff, unionized with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), will begin three consecutive days of walkouts.

The union members are criticizing the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government for being concerned about nurses, teachers and beneficiary attendants, while forgetting others whom they insist provide important public services.

On May 2, Premier François Legault said he was giving himself "two to three weeks" to conclude talks with the public sector unions. He insists he has shown enough patience.

Numerous public sector collective agreements, which concern 550,000 employees, expired in March 2020.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 19, 2021.