27 November 2023
I am speaking today as president of the Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ). I am the voice of the 40,000 members that I represent. I will, if you please, for the rest of this letter use the word “WE”.
On the other hand, Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel uses the words “I” and “ME” in a very emotional way. Given the importance of her position, she really should act more rationally. Every time she talks about the negotiations, she makes it a personal cause and she is very concerned about public opinion. But she seems to forget one detail: we are part of this public opinion.
It is very sad when contempt for state employees is the only recourse left to these people.
We are 420,000 workers with priorities that have become urgent because our demands have been deemed non-priority for far too long. The cold response we get from the government is that we really should talk about Ms. LeBel’s priorities instead. Only her priorities.
Apparently, we lack flexibility! We are asked to be more flexible every single day. At this point, we are practically contortionists! We must admit we are already very good jugglers, trying our best to juggle a small number of poorly paid working hours with the ever-increasing cost of living. Asking us for even more flexibility risks turning this whole thing into a circus!
We are surprised and above all very disappointed that a lawyer with as much experience as Ms. Lebel seems to have no idea how resolve a dispute amicably: she doesn’t listen, she tries to impose her own vision, and she negotiates in the public arena. Maybe she needs some refresher courses on how to negotiate?
In closing, we would like to address Ms. LeBel directly.
Ms. LeBel,
How can you continue to ignore our priorities and our need for decent working conditions? We want to provide our services to the best of our ability, but we need you to cooperate. Don’t forget, Ms. LeBel, that one day you may need to use our services. How would you want to be remembered? Is she the one who imposed our working conditions and wages, forcing us to jump ship? Or is she the one who had the political courage to listen to her workers and make the decisions required to improve public services in Quebec?
Éric Pronovost
FPSS-CSQ President