Quebec-run daycares won't open until 10 a.m. Friday
The start of Friday operations will be increasingly delayed each week there is no progress on contract talks with the government.
For the third Friday in a row, 3,000 employees of provincially managed daycares have delayed the start of their workday by several hours as part of an ongoing labor action.
These workers, represented by the Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance (FIPEQ), are opening daycare centers at 10 a.m. instead of their usual hours. The action stems from stalled contract negotiations. If no progress is made, the union plans to delay openings even further, with centers not opening before noon next Friday.
The key issues in the negotiations include wages, workloads, and work organization. Entry-level daycare workers currently earn $21.60 per hour, while those with the highest level of seniority (10 years) make $28.60 per hour.
The union argues that Quebec’s proposed 12.7 percent pay increase over five years falls short when compared to the 17.4 percent increase offered to other public-sector unions. Contract discussions have been ongoing since the spring.
