Montreal, August 14, 2024. – On the eve of the return of students to CEGEPs and colleges in Quebec, the three college federations (FEC-CSQ, FPSES-CSQ, FPPC-CSQ) of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) would like to highlight several issues that remain important concerns for their members.
The presidents of the CSQ, Éric Gingras, of the Fédération de l’enseignement collégial (FEC-CSQ), Youri Blanchet, of the Fédération du personnel de soutien de l’enseignement supérieur (FPSES-CSQ), Valérie Fontaine, and of the Fédération du personnel professionnel des collèges (FPPC-CSQ), Éric Cyr, have noted that beyond public sector negotiations, much remains to be done to improve the issues of attracting and retaining CEGEP staff and to counter the dilapidated state of the college network’s buildings. This is all the more true in a context of strong growth in enrollment, as the Quebec government predicts that, by 2032, the number of students in the entire college network will increase by 14.4% compared to 10 years earlier, to exceed 196,000.
Restoring trust
“We would be collectively wrong to neglect the college network since it is one of our jewels that contributes significantly to our social, cultural and economic enrichment while being an accelerator of education for thousands of young people in all regions of Quebec,” emphasizes Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ.
“We are just coming out of the 44th CSQ Congress, which focused on trust in our institutions. It goes without saying that we want to help rebuild trust in public services and our institutions, and the college network is a very important link. To achieve this, we need a space for social dialogue with the government. Similarly, our institutions must be in good condition and our workplaces must be attractive. We also believe that the work does not stop at collective agreement negotiations, and several improvements and adjustments can be considered to improve working and study conditions in the college network,” says Éric Gingras.
Dilapidated buildings and lack of attractiveness
The recent report by the Auditor General of Quebec exposed a reality that has existed for too long: the buildings in the college network are in poor condition. In fact, it states that CEGEP infrastructure has deteriorated at a worrying rate in recent years: two-thirds (65%) are in poor condition, compared to 24% five years ago.
“We often forget that the poor condition of buildings affects working conditions, particularly with an impact on the health and safety of our members, in addition to affecting study conditions. However, the positions of skilled workers, who are on the front lines for the maintenance and repair of facilities, are not attractive, despite an increase in their attraction bonus. Result: we subcontract to private firms for exorbitant sums what could be done in-house, while losing, precisely, the expertise in-house,” says Valérie Fontaine, President of the FPSES-CSQ.
However, this lack of attractiveness is unfortunately not limited to skilled workers. Several support staff positions remain vacant, creating an overload on existing staff and greater difficulty in providing quality services to the growing student population.
“Renovating” labor relations
Building renovations must also be accompanied by a “renovation” of labour relations. “The shortage of qualified workers and a high turnover rate affect many professional staff jobs in CEGEPs. The problems of attraction and retention are well known, and our new collective agreement offers various possibilities that can help keep people in their jobs by offering more modern working conditions. CEGEPs must now implement these benefits for members, grant flexible hours to more people, offer more professional autonomy, in particular through telework, taking personal leave or work-life balance, to name just a few elements. In fact, these changes, accompanied by management based on objectives rather than control, entail little cost for the employer and can make a difference for the professional,” says Éric Cyr, President of the FPPC-CSQ.
Student success and teaching context are inseparable
There is no doubt that the decrepitude of infrastructure ends up having an impact on the quality of teaching. “First of all, the lack of premises must not become an argument to accelerate the development of distance learning when we now know that it is an obstacle to success. Instead, we must continue efforts to better welcome students upon their arrival at CEGEP, in particular by providing them with more support in learning the “student profession” and mastering French, as recommended by the committee on challenge courses, which published its report entitled Cross-examination of the conditions for educational success in the first literature and philosophy courses at CEGEP“We hope that this report will serve as a basis for the discussions that will need to take place regarding the necessary addition of teaching resources,” explains Youri Blanchet, president of the FEC-CSQ.
Artificial intelligence: the urgency to act at the college level
Artificial intelligence and its impacts on the education sector was one of the important issues at the last CSQ Congress. The urgency of collective reflection on the supervision of artificial intelligence, particularly at the college level, became evident during the proceedings, and recommendations are consistent with this. “It goes without saying that we must equip staff to face these new challenges. However, in order to avoid the miracle solutions proposed by certain private companies, the adoption of these tools must be done in a climate of consultation and collaboration. Furthermore, in a context where the relationship to knowledge and its production is profoundly changed by these technologies, the crucial importance of digital education for young people becomes paramount,” affirm the leaders of the FEC-CSQ, FPSES-CSQ and FPPC-CSQ.
Love for our CEGEPs
The Auditor General’s report is unequivocal: our CEGEPs lack love. “Given this observation, it is essential to take a step back to ensure major investment in the college network. CEGEPs have too often been forgotten by the Legault government. It is high time to revalue this network and its staff,” conclude the representatives of the CSQ and its three college federations.
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CSQ profile
The CSQ represents more than 225,000 members, including approximately 125,000 education personnel. The CSQ has 11 federations that bring together some 240 affiliated unions; there is also the AREQ, the association that represents CSQ retirees. The CSQ is also present in the sectors of health and social services, early childhood education services, municipal, recreation, culture, community and communications.
X : CSQ_Centrale
FEC-CSQ profile
The Fédération de l’enseignement collégial (FEC-CSQ) is a group of sixteen unions representing more than 3,000 CEGEP teachers from several regions of Quebec. Founded in 1968, the FEC-CSQ has always campaigned for CEGEPs to have the means to offer students quality training that prepares them for the job market or university, while contributing to the development of free and autonomous citizens. It is affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ).
FPSES-CSQ profile
The FPSES-CSQ represents nearly 5,000 members working in thirteen college institutions, three university institutions and five parapublic service organizations. It is affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ), which represents nearly 215,000 members, including nearly 125,000 education personnel.
FPPC-CSQ profile
The Fédération du personnel professionnel des collèges (FPPC-CSQ) represents nearly 75% of the professional staff of CEGEPs in the college network, or more than 2,100 professionals spread across 38 unions. It exclusively brings together CEGEP professional staff.
Information
Maude Messier
CSQ Press Officer
Cell phone: 514 213-0770
Email: messier.maude@lacsq.org
