The Ministry of Education canceled in extremis a large-scale Christmas party, planned for Friday, which caused internal unease in the context of the strike, following questions from the Journal about this on Wednesday.
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A few weeks ago, 1,100 officials from the Ministry of Education were invited to a Christmas party on December 15 at the Quebec City convention center. The invitation was made by Deputy Minister Carole Arav.
Employees were to take part in a three-course dinner which would have been followed by an evening hosted by a musical group, all at a cost of $79 per person, including taxes and tip. The event was not part of a long-standing tradition at the ministry, quite the contrary.
“The organization of such a festive event to celebrate the end of the year is a first, so it is a great opportunity to come together and celebrate in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere,” we could read in an email sent at the end of November.
Internal discomfort
However, the organization of this event had caused internal unease, with employees deeming the context completely inappropriate due to the strike, according to our information.
The Autonomous Education Federation launched an indefinite general strike on November 23, leading to the closure of 40% of schools in the province.
Without strike funds, 66,500 teachers have been without pay for three weeks now.
“It makes no sense at all,” said Wednesday to Journal a source at the Ministry of Education, while the event was still scheduled to take place.
Canceled with two days notice
However, at the end of the day on Wednesday, after being questioned on this subject by The newspaperthe Ministry of Education finally decided to cancel the event “taking into account the persistent strike in the school network”.
A communication was sent to ministry employees late in the afternoon on this subject, it was indicated.
“The evening was organized in September, before the strike began, and was intended to be an event to highlight the work of all department employees. However, in the current context, it was deemed preferable to cancel it,” said its spokesperson Bryan St-Louis.
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2023-12-14 00:01:56
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