Leaders of two Quebec teachers unions approve partial deal with provincial government

QUEBEC — Two Quebec teachers unions say their leadership has approved a partial agreement with the provincial government, marking one small step forward in a broader series of labour disputes that threaten to upend a large swath of the province’s public service next year.

The Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement and the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, which together represent more than 100,000 educators, said in a Friday evening statement that they won’t make the details of the proposed agreement public until their members have a chance to review it and voice their opinions.

In a video message posted to social media, FSE president Josée Scalabrini said that next step won’t happen until after the holiday break. She suggested the proposed deal concerns work conditions, but she did not specify which elements.

The two unions do make clear the tentative deal doesn’t cover teacher salaries. Compensation and other issues are still the subject of negotiations with the government under an alliance of labour groups known as the common front, which represents around 420,000 Quebec public sector workers.