Strike avoided for schools in Nunavik, Que., communities
Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the school board for communities in the Nunavik region of Québec, and the union representing teachers as well as support staff have reached an agreement in principle after two and a half years of negotiations.
The agreement narrowly avoids a strike that was set to run from May 13 to 30.
"The content of the agreement in principle is currently being drafted and will subsequently be submitted to the teachers and support staff affiliated to the [Association of Employees of Northern Québec (AENQ)] for ratification," reads a news release from the school board on Saturday.
According to a separate release from the Québec government, the agreement affects more than 1,500 teachers an support staff that work for Kativik Ilisarniliriniq.
"The negotiations were long and challenging for everyone involved," said Larry Imbeault, AENQ's president.
Teachers went on a three-day strike in January across 14 Nunavik communities. At the time, they pushed for accelerated negotiations.
Dismissal concerns at issue
One of the final sticking points in the negotiations was the period of time staff had to respond to a request for a criminal background check.
The school board required staff to respond within 10 days. If a staff member didn't respond within that window then the board wanted the power to terminate the person's contract.
The union was concerned this would lead to arbitrary dismissals of staff that may inadvertently miss the email while on vacation or similar situations.
It's not clear how the parties resolved the issue.
The proposed strike dates would have coincided with the end of the school year and would have meant cancelled trips and graduation ceremonies.
Prior to the agreement, Jennifer La Page, a parent to two high school students in Kuujjuaq, said, "I acknowledge that the teachers should get what they deserve, but their union should not use our children as a bargaining chip to gain their rights."
She had launched a petition urging both parties to come resolve their issues, which garnered more than 300 signatures.
The agreement is retroactive to 2023 and will last until 2028.
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