Centres de services scolaires du Fer and du Littoral – Violence and Resignations

Centres de services scolaires du Fer and du Littoral

 Violence being experienced by school support staff in the Le Fer region, and resignations are on the rise 

 Violence towards school support staff at the Centre de services scolaire (CSS) du Fer affects almost four (4) out of five (5) people when it involves physical violence, and more than nine (9) out of ten (10) when it involves non-physical violence. Both types of violence have increased since the 2022 survey.

Over the past five years, there has also been an increase in school support staff resignations of almost 40% at the CSS du Fer and 50% at the CSS du Littoral.

These two findings were of concern to Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ) President Éric Pronovost when he came to Sept-Îles to meet with school support staff working at the school service centers of the Le Fer and Littoral school service centers.

Violence in the schools

Violence experienced by school support staff continues to rise. The data was gathered by Ad hoc Research, in collaboration with the FPSS‑CSQ.

Students are the main source of these incidents, which include having objects thrown at them (85%), being hit (84%), being shouted at (84%), being sworn at or cursed at (60%), being subjected to abusive language (49%), and being spat at, scratched or scuffed (39%).

“In this context, in addition to not being appreciated or treated based on their true value, it is unacceptable that school support staff have to endure physical and verbal violence that affects them severely. This has to stop, we have to protect education workers,” says Monica Chiasson, President of the Syndicat de l’enseignement de la région du Fer (SERF‑CSQ).

Pronovost adds: “I’m going to have a lot of solutions to present to the Education Minister on May 24 at the Journée d’échange sur la prévention de la violence et de l’intimidation dans les écoles. I don’t understand why Mr. Drainville hasn’t already taken action to stop the violence.”

More than 504 school support staff have already resigned in the last five years in the Côte-Nord region

Over the past five years and into the current year, 504 school support staff have resigned from school service centers and school boards in the Côte-Nord region. These figures do not include retirements. The FPSS‑CSQ used access to information requests to obtain the figures.

Éric Pronovost is deeply concerned about the situation, saying: “We are witnessing a major crisis in education. These mass resignations are having an impact on the workload of those who remain and on the quality of the services we offer.”

Why people are resigning

The reasons behind this wave of mass departures are varied, says Chiasson. “Lack of recognition, precarious working conditions, lack of resources, and work overload are all factors that drive school support staff to make the difficult decision to leave their jobs in education.”

She says this jeopardizes the quality of services offered to students. School support staff perform various tasks, from administrative management to facilities maintenance, to supporting students with special needs. Their contributions are often discreet, but they are fundamental.

“Losing people with experience and expertise is crucial. When people resign, new people need to be hired and trained to replace them. There is a significant cost associated with this, which the government needs to take into account.

The FPSS-CSQ is calling upon the Education Minister to take urgent action to resolve this crisis. “Despite some gains in the new collective agreements, there are still many issues that require immediate action to preserve the integrity of our education system.” “School support staff remain deeply and constantly concerned about the lack of services to students,” insists Pronovost. “Adequate recognition of their essential contribution is required; we are a decisive factor in education.”

More attractive jobs elsewhere

Monica Chiasson points out that more attractive jobs are being offered by companies in the region. “Many of our members, whether secretaries, labourers or specialized educators, have resigned their positions to take jobs elsewhere, where they are assured of more working hours, a sometimes-lighter workload and often higher wages. Our school service centers are losing valuable expertise,” laments the SERF-CSQ President.

Like other regions, the Côte-Nord is experiencing an exodus of young people. “We need to offer jobs that meet their expectations right here in our own region. The towns of Sept-Îles, Fermont, Port-Cartier and Blanc-Sablon are particularly hard hit by the labor shortage.” Chiasson says efforts must be made to put an end to this shortage, for the sake of both students and staff.

A recent survey conducted by the Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques (IRIS), showed that 48% of school support staff have to work during breaks, lunch hours or beyond their regular working hours to cope with their ever-increasing duties and responsibilities. Not surprisingly, over 80% of them say they are exhausted.