Teachers, health workers walk out in Quebec as 7-day public sector strike begins

More than 420,000 public sector workers began a seven-day strike on Friday, the latest push to get the Quebec government to pay them more and improve their working conditions.

Unless there is a deal by later this month, union leaders said Friday they may resort to a general unlimited strike, which would keep public sector workers off the job indefinitely.

The workers are members of unions affiliated with the common front, or Front commun in French, a coalition of unions angling for a new collective agreement with the government.

The common front workers, who work across the public sector, including in health care and education, joined teachers from the Fédération autonome de l'enseignement (FAE) who have been on an unlimited strike since Nov. 23.

The FAE strike has closed a large number of French schools across the province, forcing about 368,000 students to stay home. The common front strike shuttered every other public school. It is expected to last until Dec. 14 at midnight.

That means about 1.2 million students are now at home due to schools being closed.

The Current19:25Almost half a million workers on strike in Quebec

Close to half a million public sector workers are striking in Quebec, including nurses, social service workers and educators. Matt Galloway calls up a teacher on the picket line to hear why she’s out on strike, and asks a union leader how the public will be impacted by what’s one of the largest strikes in Canadian history.

A crowd of common front members assembled in front of the National Assembly in Quebec City on Friday morning.

There, as public sector workers held signs, blew horns and chanted, the leaders of the major unions that make up the common front told reporters they were ready to launch a general unlimited strike if a deal isn't struck with the government before Dec. 18. The common front unions have scheduled two days of meetings starting then.

It would be "the perfect time to present a tentative agreement," Robert Comeau the president of the Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS), said. "If not, we'll have no choice but to take stock of the situation with our members and we don't see any other solution other than a general unlimited strike."

Sonia Lebel, Quebec's treasury board president, said negotiations were intensifying with the unions.

"We're at a crucial moment because everyone seems to be on the same page, including the common front, in wanting to come to an agreement before the end of the year," she said.

In Montreal, common front members marched through downtown streets and demonstrated outside of healthcare facilities.

Earlier this week, the common front rejected the government's latest contract offer, which included a 12.7 per cent pay raise over five years.

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Accepting that offer would be a step back for public servants, Magali Picard, the president of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec said on Thursday.

The unions say they want a pay raise, but also better working conditions.

The Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec, (FIQ), a union that represents 80,000 nurses and other health-care professionals, said Thursday that it had also rejected an offer from the government. It had been offered the same increase as the common front.

FIQ members are set to begin a four-day strike on Monday.

Premier François Legault has repeatedly said the government is willing to pay public sector workers more, but in exchange for flexibility from the unions in terms of scheduling.

The FAE also rejected an offer from the government this week and proposed a counter-offer. Negotiations between the parties are continuing.