A two-day interruption of services by the employers in the Cree Childcare
centres

The CSQ, the FIPEQ-CSQ and the AENQ-CSQ support the demands 

MONTREAL, Oct. 17 /CNW Telbec/ - As the Association of Cree Childcare centres' employers is about to interrupt the services in its centres for 2 days, on Monday and Tuesday, the 18^th and 19^th of October to put pressure on the government, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), the Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance du Québec (FIPEQ-CSQ) and its affiliated union, the Association of employees of Northern Quebec (AENQ-CSQ), also unite to denounce the inequitable treatment given to the Cree educators. 

The responsible for Quebec's national negotiation for childcare centres educators at the CSQ and vice-president of the Centrale, Mrs. Louise Chabot, explains that the boycott of services organized by the Association of Cree Childcare centres' employers aims to force Quebec's government to grant to the Cree educators the same northern premiums to which the public sector workers of northern Quebec are entitled.  

« We totally share the Association of employers' preoccupation in this matter since the salary iniquity which the educators are victims of is so big, comparatively to other public sector workers that it undermines the Childcare centres' capacity to deliver services that are both safe and of high quality. In fact, the employee turnover is abnormally high due to the fact that many educators leave their position for a better paid job », explains Mrs. Chabot. 

Employers who are not without blame 

For his part, the president of AENQ-CSQ, M. Patrick D'Astous, insists to specify that even if the employer's demands are legitimate, they also have to perform a self-examination on certain practices from the past few years.  

« Quebec's government is not the sole responsible of the salary iniquity that educators have been subjected to since employers have themselves multiplied the discretionary measures in the form of premiums granted to certain employees according to only one criteria, namely, their own wishes. This way of proceeding is another form of iniquity which also affects the educators without forgetting that it cannot really be called a transparent and responsible management of public funds », protests M. D'Astous.

The Minister of Families called out 

The CSQ, the FIPEQ-CSQ and the AENQ-CSQ also call out the minister of Families, Mrs. Yolande James, so that she intervenes in order to put an end to this situation where, once again, women and native children and the ones who are victims.  

« If Cree nurses, teachers, secretaries and janitors, whose salaries come from Quebec, have northern premiums, nothing justifies that educators have not. These women must face the same geographic realities and it would be normal that they receive the same financial compensations. », maintains the president of FIPEQ-CSQ, Mrs. Sylvie Tonnelier. 

No salary cut foreseen 

Finally, the AENQ-CSQ's president wants to reassure its unionized members that they will not have to pay for the two-day interruption of services in the Cree Childcare centres.  

« Their salary should not be affected since it is the employer's boycott which will prevent them from working », concludes M. D'Astous.

Portrait of AENQ

Founded in 1971, the Association of Employees of Northern Québec, an affiliate of the CSQ, has over 1,500 members. It represents, teachers and support staff of the Cree and Kativik school boards as well as employees of childcare centres in the Cree Territory.

For further information:

AENQ Source :
Patrick D'Astous
Telephone :[phone]
Fax :[phone]