Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers plan pressure tactics

Quebec teachers are planning a series of targeted actions against the provincialgovernment thisspring including starting classes later and extending recess times to protest against changes to their working conditions.

The province and its teachers are in the middle of negotiations to reach a collective agreement.

The current agreement expires atMarch 31, 2015.

Richard Goldfinch, president of theQuebec Provincial AssociationofTeachers,saidthe actions will likely resemble a flash mob.

The associationrepresents 8,000 teachers in English school boards across the province.

It worked with the larger federation of teachers unions to publishan action plan detailing a series of tactics the unions plan to use in their fight with the government.

Goldfinch saidtheywill be used only if his members feel they have no choice.

He said the government is looking at cutting away at gains teachers have made in previous contracts.

"The class size maximums that we had, argued for and won, that's about to fall away," Goldfinch told Daybreak.

"The codes that we use to help for the funding for our specials needs students that we integrate so well into the classroom, that's about to fall away."

Goldfinch said teachers will also be required to spend an extra three hours a week in the schools under the government's demands.