Professional staff strike: New Frontiers schools closed on April 29th

New Frontiers schools will be closed on April 29th due to a professional staff strike. Elementary and secondary schools, as well as daycares, will close their doors on Thursday while adult career centres will cancel their morning classes. According to the school board, the decision was made because the union didn’t provide information as to where picket lines will be formed. Representing around 10 000 members, the Fédération des professionnelles et professionnels de l'éducation du Québec (FPPE-CSQ) includes speech and language therapists, subject consultants, guidance counsellors, psychologists and remedial teachers. They denounce working conditions that "have deteriorated to such an extent that 30% of them are considering quitting their jobs", explained Jacques Landry, president of the FPPE-CSQ, in a press release. Staff affiliated with the union have been in contract negotiations for over a year. They deplore "urgent problems like the lack of professional resources, wages, precariousness and demanding work", said Landry. Strikes planned for May About 8 000 school support workers represented by the Union of Professional and Office Employees (SEPB-Québec-FTQ) plan to hold two days of strike action in May. They are, among others, secretaries, administrative technicians, student attendants, daycare technicians and noon-hour supervisors. New Frontiers will be affected by a 24-hour strike on May 11th. The school board says it will provide more information on their plan for May 11th once they receive more details from the union.