MONTREAL , Feb. 2 /CNW Telbec/ - Over the past few days ( January 22 to 26), the Management Negotiating Committee for the Cree School Board (CPNCSC) met with the unions representing teaching, professional and support staff of the Cree School Board to present its proposals for non-salary related clauses. The current agreements expiring March 31, 2010 , the deposits were made as part of negotiations to renew collective agreements for all employees of the Cree School Board.
"The CPNCSC wants to conduct negotiations geared at ensuring all 3,600 students attending schools of the Cree School Board receive an education based on Cree culture and language and in accordance with Cree values and traditions", says Jean-François Séguin, spokesman for the employer-group. The CPNCSC is confident its approach to various issues, such as the improvement of services to students and the optimization of resources, will resonate positively with the unions and help lead to a signed agreement that will serve the best interests of both parties and their work relations.
The employer-group's proposals center around five main themes that address services to students, as well as employees' needs and the Board's specific reality. These orientations are as follows:
- increasing the efficiency of administrative management; - ensuring the highest standards of services and the most efficient use of resources; - recognizing the role the territory plays in School Board management; - standardizing collective agreements and making them more user-friendly; - increasing efficiency of the arbitration process and seeking alternate conflict-resolution methods.
"We believe all involved in the collective agreement negotiations will share our desire to put the students' success at the forefront of our talks, in keeping with the mission of the Cree School Board, explains Jean-François Séguin. Among other things, the CPNCSC wishes to ensure the collective agreement facilitates the development of high quality services that are adapted to the students' needs, all the while taking into account the specific reality of the Cree School Board." Mr. Séguin remains available to further explain the proposals put forth by the CPNCSC.
The Cree School Board has close to 700 unionized employees and covers a particularly vast territory. The Board serves the educational needs of nine Cree villages, four of them located along the coast of
, one along the Hudson's Bay and another four "southern" communities located inland.
The CPNCSC organizes and coordinates negotiations for non-salary related issues for teaching, professional and support staff of the Cree School Board. Its members are appointed by the School Board and by the ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport. The issues negotiated by the employer-group are often referred to as "normative clauses" and include everything from pension plans to teachers' task and workload. Salaries are not included in these negotiations as they are subject to talks between the unions and the Treasury Board.
For further information: and interview requests: Jean-Pierre St-Gelais, Communications Director, CPNCSC, (514) 458-8572
