Véronique Lefebvre, President of the Syndicat de l'enseignement de la région de Vaudreuil (SERV), welcomes the start of the new school year.

"After the August 11 contract-awarding session, we still had eight positions to fill. These positions were almost all filled, after a second session on August 14. What you need to understand is that this second session was for teachers in the process of qualifying or those who had not completed their two contracts with the CSSTL. At present, we only have one position left, plus 40% in orthopedagogy and a few in music. This is excellent news in itself," Ms. Lefebvre told Néomédia. 

SERV represents all teachers in the primary sector of the Centre de services scolaires des Trois-Lacs (CSSTL).

"There are still contracts to be filled, for replacements for maternity leave, sick leave or those who decide to leave the profession during the year. We're in a better position than last year, but it's still fragile," adds the president.

Despite the fact that virtually all positions have been filled, the 16-year veteran of the union still expects the number of non-legally qualified teachers to increase over the course of the year, to compensate for sick leave, maternity leave and departures.

"Last year, 60 non-legally qualified teachers were hired at CSSTL. We're certainly expecting more this year. What happens is that teachers who want to work part-time will prefer to be on the substitute call list, or there are substitutes who will take on contracts. At the moment, we're not so much in shortage, but in December, we're expecting things to fall apart, and the list of substitutes will shrink," laments Véronique Lefebvre.

Will the teachers go on strike?

Like thousands of public service employees, Quebec's teachers are still negotiating their new collective agreement. 

"To become a teacher, you need, yes, a passion for children, but you also need to see happy teachers around you. When new teachers hear about everything that's going on in the school network, they're certainly not tempted by the profession. We're always being asked to do more. Quebec demands more, and so do parents and society. We've known that for a long time. We need better working conditions," says Ms. Lefebvre.

According to the president, it's a safe bet that a strike mandate will be voted on soon. "Teachers are fed up. Since the pandemic, the needs are so much greater. No matter how much pressure we put on them, the Essential Services Council keeps pulling the rug out from under us. So what's left? Well, the strike. If they don't want us to go that far, let them negotiate in good faith."

According to the most recent report published by the Ministry of Education on August 28, 30 teaching positions are still vacant at the Centre de services scolaires des Trois-Lacs. Four are full-time regular positions and thirteen are part-time positions at 100% or less.

Considering recent hirings at primary level, these positions would be mainly at secondary and adult education level.