Three-day strike closes daycares across Quebec: Workers march to demand more money, pay equity [CA-QC]

EXCERPTS

A strike by day-care workers in the Townships forced hundreds of parents to come up with alternative child care arrangements Friday and unless something unforeseen happens, the strike will continue today and tomorrow.

Across the province, some 7,000 day-care workers at more than 300 provincially-run day cares were on strike. Here in the Sherbrooke area, 29 of 31 centres were closed Friday due to a strike by some 700 daycare educators unionized with the CSN. Workers at the two other day cares were not in a legal strike position.

Workers hit the pavement Friday, marching to Premier Jean Charest's office at lunch time to demand improved working conditions and movement on the issue of pay equity.

The day-care workers have been without a contract since April 2004 and have not had a a raise since April 2003, and are demanding pay increases and progress on the pay equity issue that has been dragging for four years.

The last offer from the Quebec government was unacceptable, said their union which is looking at the possibility of an unlimited strike.

- reprinted from the Sherbrooke Record