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Quebec's unionized daycare workers voted yesterday to give pay-equity talks with the provincial government one last chance.
Instead of calling the general strike many parents feared, representatives for Quebec's 7,800 unionized daycare workers urged the provincial government yesterday to return to the bargaining table.
"We want to negotiate and we are ready to negotiate," said Claudette Carbonneau, president of Confederation des syndicats nationaux.
In Quebec City, Family Minister Carole Theberge said she is glad the CSN has decided to return to the bargaining table.
"I am very happy for the parents and the children," she said.
"This is good news."
Carbonneau said Quebec's unionized daycare workers have voted to set aside negotiations for a pay increase to focus solely on pay equity. "They (daycare workers) want to fight for pay equity to correct a historic injustice," she said.
Preparing ground for renewed pay-equity negotiations, Carbonneau said daycare workers will accept whatever salary increase the government gives public sector workers, with whom it is now negotiating.
Quebec has offered civil servants, CEGEP professors, teachers, nurses and other public sector workers 12.6 per cent over six years, including pay equity.
Unionized daycare workers remain in a legal strike position but will stage a walkout only as a last resort, Carbonneau added.
Theberge stressed the government is constrained by its 12.6-per-cent limit of settling pay equity and wage increases.
- reprinted from the Canadian Press