FAE reaches proposed deal with the province; all Common Front unions also have tentative deals with Quebec

After more than one month of strike action, a Quebec teachers’ union announced late Wednesday night it has reached a proposed deal with the government.

However, the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) said it will determine Thursday if it is indeed an agreement in principle.

The union, which represents more than 66,000 teachers, has been on an unlimited strike since Nov. 23. The group said it will present the proposal to the nine affiliated member unions at a meeting Thursday. If the deal is approved, it will be presented to the members to ratify, but only “after the holiday break.”

“We will leave it up to our governing body to determine whether this is an agreement in principle that meets the crying needs of teachers and their students,” the FAE’s president, Mélanie Hubert, said in a news release.

“The 66,500 members of the FAE have just spent 22 days on the streets, without pay, to make their voices heard. We will respect our democratic processes before making any further pronouncements.”

No further details were announced on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) says the last of its eight unions has reached a tentative agreement with the Quebec government.

The FTQ-affiliated Syndicat des professionnelles et professionnels de Laval-Rive-Nord (SPPLRN-SCFP) says it reached a consensus with the Quebec government at 1:03 a.m. Wednesday when it comes to working conditions.

The federation says all of its settlements will be presented to members “shortly” for a vote.

The FTQ, which is part of the inter-union Common Front, stresses that an accord has yet to be reached at the central table, where issues such as salaries are being debated.

All other Common Front unions, representing around 420,000 workers, have reached tentative agreements with the government.

Nevertheless, over the past few days, several advances have been made at the negotiating tables in the health and education sectors, with multiple unions announcing they had reached tentative agreements on working conditions.

Talks were slated to continue on Wednesday, though the Common Front has already threatened to launch an indefinite strike in January if an agreement cannot be met.

The SPPLRN-SCFP represents 1,000 education professionals working in the Laurentides, Lanaudière and Laval regions.

The agreements do not include salaries and benefits, which are still being discussed.

The province has still not reached a deal with a major union, the FIQ, which represents about 80,000 health-care workers.

With files from The Canadian Press.