School support staff working in French-language school boards are reiterating their sectoral demands by planting the On est là! visual in front of the offices of the Centre de services scolaires des Trois-Lacs and several other establishments.

"We still have seven out of 10 people who don't have full-time positions," says Éric Pronovost, president of the Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ). He continues: "we need to make positions more attractive so that people decide to work in education and stay there."

"We also need to ensure that support staff have better working conditions, so that they can offer a service that meets the needs of students, which in turn could have the effect of attracting and keeping workers in our ranks," says EricVézina, president of the Syndicat du personnel de soutien scolaire des Trois-Lacs SPSTL-CSQ.

Average salary

The average salary of school support staff is half that of other workers in the province. "At $26,484 a year, it's very difficult to keep up with rising food prices and the cost of living. We have to change this, otherwise the labour shortage will reach record levels in our schools, which will lead to even more service breakdowns," maintains Mr. Pronovost.

Increasing hours

Staff shortages are a major issue for FPSS-CSQ members. We are calling for specific measures to improve staff attraction and retention. "This means quality jobs with full-time positions, an end to broken schedules, the valuing of all school support jobs and family-work balance. We need concrete action and active listening from the government to solve these problems," concludes Éric Pronovost.