Half a million people are striking in Quebec. Where is this going?

Public sector workers have been striking for weeks now to pressure the Quebec government into negotiating new collective agreements.

The major union federations, the Fdration autonome de l'enseignement (FAE), Fdration interprofessionnelle de la sant du Qubec (FIQ), and the common front, a coalition of unions representing more than 420,000 public sector workers in health-care and education, among other areas, are on strikefor much of this week.

That meansabout 560,000 people, about six and a half per cent of Quebec's population, are striking.

The strikes are the largest labour movement in years and they are affecting the delivery of public services. Children are out of public school because teachers are striking. Many medical appointments are cancelled due to striking hospital staff.

So, where are we now? How far have things come and where is this going?

We answer a few questions about the strikes.

What happens next?

There are indications that, if no deal is reached before the new year, the common front could join the FAE in its general unlimited strike, which has been ongoing since Nov. 23.

A general unlimited strike is a work stoppage with no set end date. The striking workers simply strike until they agree to a new deal (or they are forced back to work, but the government has repeatedly said it hasno intention of passing back-to-work legislation).

On Friday, the first day of the common front's seven-day strike, union leaders said they havetwo days' worth of general meetings planned starting on Dec. 18. That would be "the perfect time to present a tentative agreement (to their members)," said Robert Comeau, the president of the Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la sant et des services sociaux (APTS).

"If not, we'll have no choice but to take stock of the situation with our members and we don't see any other solution other than a general unlimited strike."

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A general unlimited strike by the common front would keep all public schools in the province closed indefinitely. As it stands now, with only the FAE on a general unlimited strike, only schools with FAE personnel (a large number of French schools, but not all of them) are closed indefinitely.

How close are the parties to reaching an agreement?

Heading into this week, it didn't look like an agreement would be reached soon, according to the union leaders.

The government and the unions didn't negotiate over the weekend, which, union leaders said on Monday, was a sign that the government lacksurgency in bringing the strikes to an end.

But things can change quickly.

On Monday evening,Treasury Board President Sonia LeBeltook to social media and provided an update on negotiations with the FAEand said"important discussions have taken place and we now have essential elements on the table for an agreement."

On Facebook, the FAE said discussions were "productive."

"However, we'll remain careful," the group's message read. "We will judge the tree by its fruits."

Prior to this latest development,the office of Treasury Board President Sonia LeBelhad told CBC it waswilling to meet with union negotiators at any time and that negotiations will continue at the bargaining table. It had said thatits latest offer a salary increase of 12.7 per cent over five years, for most workers was worth $9 billion.

The unions, however, have beenasking for increases closer to 20 per cent over three years, which they say is needed to match inflation.

What are the major sticking points?

One major sticking point appears to be around "flexibility." Premier Franois Legault has repeatedly brought that term up. He says the government is willing to put more money on the table for salaries but has said that the unions need to be willing to agree to some changes.

For example, he says that the government wants the ability to pay some workers more in some areas where there are shortages, for example than in others. He also said the government wants teacher schedules to be issued earlier than they are now.

Rjean Leclerc, the president of the Fdration de la sant et des services sociaux, a union affiliated with the common front, told CBC this weekend that the demand for more flexibility was really a demand to cede more control to the government and it would place more pressure on workers.

"If we ask [workers] for more flexibility, the elastic will snap," said Leclerc.

Teachers and health-care workers who spoke with CBCrepeatedly said that pay increases were secondary to improved working conditions. Teachers with the FAE have said they want smaller class sizes and more manageable workloads. Nurses with the FIQ, meanwhile, have highlighted long shifts and having to care for too many patients at once, among other issues.

What impact are the strikes having on health care?

The FAE and common front strikes have closed schools, but health-care services like emergency rooms are considered essential and can't stop functioning during a strike.

But even if ERs remain open, there is a ripple effect when a large number of health-care workers walk off the job.

For one, Health Minister Christian Dub said last week that the Info-Sant 811 hotline may have longer wait times than usual because fewer people are working its lines. (He still suggested that it was better to wait on the phone than head to a crowded emergency room.)

But at health-care institutions across the province, the strikes have resulted in the postponement of non-urgent appointments and some surgeries.

The CHU de Qubec-Universit Laval, in Quebec City, for example, saysit rescheduled 3,000 non-urgent appointments and 200 surgeries.

The health authority for the eastern part of Montreal says some of its services will be delayed.

The FIQ, which includes 80,000 nurses and other health-care professionals, is on strike until Thursday. Its leaders have also not ruled out the possibility of launching a general unlimited strike.

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