Labour Agreement Accepted by Quebec’s FAE Teachers Union by Narrow Margin

Teachers of the Federation Autonome de l'Enseignement (FAE) march to present their negotiation demands, Oct. 27, 2022, in front of the legislature in Quebec City. The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot

A Quebec teachers union whose strike late last year closed hundreds of schools for weeks has narrowly accepted a labour agreement with the province.

Fédération autonome de l'enseignement, commonly known as the FAE, said on Facebook that its membership accepted the deal and that union leadership would hold a news conference on Feb. 5.

The announcement concludes a months-long squabble between the Quebec government and the more than 66,000-member FAE, which was the only union to launch an unlimited general strike during last year’s public sector contract negotiations.

The vote was tight, however, as the deal was accepted by five of the FAE’s nine member unions.

Syndicat de l'enseignement de la Haute-Yamaska, the last FAE union to vote, accepted the new contract by 50.58 per cent.

Quebec Treasury Board president Sonia Lebel says the government’s deal with the union includes higher pay and better working conditions.