Montreal's largest French school board announces two strike days

Students at Montreal's largest French-language school board,the Commission scolaire de Montral (CSDM), will be staying home on Oct. 28 and Oct 29 as teachers and staff take part in a two-day strike.

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he board, which includes 129 elementary schools and37 secondary Montreal-area schools, made the announcement Monday afternoon.

Teachers will be picketing in front of the schools on those two days, the board expects.

The province'steachers have been without a contract since April 1. The provincial governmentis offering civil servants a two-year salary freeze followed by a 1per cent increase per year over three years.

Other school boards have already announced when their classes. They include:

• The Montreal Teachers Association, theunion representing all teachers working for theEnglish Montreal School Board,hasconfirmed one strike date so far,Oct.29.

• Lester B. Pearson School Boardteachers will be on strike Oct. 29, as well as Nov. 16 and 17. Support staff have also voted in favour of two rotating strike days, starting with one onNov. 4.

• Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Boardhave opted to strike on the same days and will also hold walkouts for three consecutive days in December. Teachers will strikeDec.1, 2 and3 pending on the outcome of contract negotiations.

• Teachers atJohn Abbott Collegeshare the same six strike dates as both Sir Wilfrid Laurierand Lester B. Pearson school boards.

• The South Shore'sRiverside School Boardwill have strikes on Oct. 28, Nov. 12 and 13. Teachers will also strike Dec. 1, 2 and3 in line with a massive public-sector walkout.

• TheFdration autonome de l'enseignement, the union that represents over 34,000 French-language teachers across the province, will also hold three rotating strikes onOct. 26, 27 and 28.

• The Front commun, a coalition of Quebec labour federations, is also holding a series of strike days, starting the week of Oct. 26.