Riverside School Board teachers vote in favour of strike mandate

Teachersat the Riverside School Board on Montreal's South Shore havevoted in favour of a six-day strike mandate over stalled contract negotiations with the Quebec government.

• Thousands of Quebec teachers to strike for 2 days this fall
• Extra-curricular activities put on hold in some Montreal schools
• Students, parents, staff protest against public school spending cuts

Under the mandate, the strikedays would not be consecutive and would only begin after the federal election on Oct. 19, with a planto hold another meeting after three strike days.

Eighty-six per cent ofthe 460 teachers who cast a ballot voted in favour of the mandate.

Steve LeSueur, president of the Riverside teachers' union, said Tuesday night's resultsends a strong message to the government.

"We gave a strong'yes' and I think this will help the other unions moving forward," Le Sueur told CBC.

"It's been such an insult from the government that hopefully they hear our mandates loud and clear."

The resultdoesn't necessarily mean the teachers will go on strike, but it gives the union the optionto do so if talks with the government continue to stall.

Riverside School Boardrepresents 25 schools andabout 850 teachers onthe South Shore.

'Caught in the middle'

Dan Lamoureux, chair of the Riverside School Board, said his group "empathizes with the teachers," but stressed his focus is on the students.

"We're caught in the middle of all this," he said.

"I'm sure it'll cause a very serious headache, not only for the board, and for the students, but also too for those parents who have to juggle responsibilities."

Fadi Tawil, chair of the school board parent committee,didn't want to take sides in the negotiations, sayingno matter what happens he'd like to see the quality of education stay high within the school board.

In a statement, a spokesperson forEducation Minister Franois Blaissaidteachers using pressure tactics should ensure they do soin compliance with labour laws andtheir employment contracts while alsorespecting students' interests.

Quebec's teachers have been without a contract since April. They are asking for a 13.5 per cent pay increase over three years, while the government is offering a threeper cent increase over five years, with nothing this year or next.

Teachers are also upset over the province's cost-cutting measuresand their effecton the public education system.

Riverside is the first of the English school boards in theMontreal area to hold a strike vote.

Others are scheduled to follow suit in the coming days.

Several French-language school boards have voted in favour of two strike days, one on Sept. 30, and the other on varying dates in October, depending on the school board.

Dates of strike votes for Montreal-area English school boards

• Riverside: September15
• New Frontiers: September16
• SirWilfred Laurier: September21 or22
• Lester B. Pearson: September24
• EMSB: September 24