Quebec: First the students, now the teachers? Labour spat might disrupt school return

MONTREAL – Quebec’s waning student crisis is threatening to flare up again before summer’s end, with teachers now becoming involved in the newest phase of the tuition battle.

The massive, nightly student demonstrations that swept Quebec last spring have shrunk considerably in recent weeks.

But a large chasm in negotiations between teachers and the government could derail Premier Jean Charest’s plan to reopen colleges in August to finish the postponed winter term.

The teachers’ union is demanding that Quebec hire a couple of hundred temporary teachers to help existing professors manage what’s expected to be a big workload during the intensive fall schedule.

The union is threatening pressure tactics — such as refusing to teach.

Quebec’s education minister calls the union’s warnings of pressure tactics unacceptable. The president of the province’s federation of colleges also says the union’s demands are unreasonable.

But the window is closing for an agreement before the session is set to begin on Aug. 17.

If the parties don’t strike a deal by the end of Friday, talks are only expected to resume after a month-long holiday break.