On October 17 and 18, at the Hôtel Gouverneur in Trois-Rivières, the School Sector (FEESP-CSN) is held its first symposium entirely dedicated to the problem of violence against support staff in elementary, secondary and AEVS schools in Quebec.

Last September, following a major data collections from School Sector unions, the FEESP-CSN took to the media to denounce loud and clear the verbal and physical violence suffered by employees (read the article in La Presse).

“We knew the situation was worrying, but the figures obtained revealed the full extent of the problem. Now we must act, and act fast. The first step is to stop trivializing the violence to which workers are exposed, and that’s what we’re doing with these two days of reflection and discussion,” says Annie Charland, president of the School Sector of the FEESP-CSN.

Presentations by scientific advisors from the lnstitut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) and union advisors from the CSN, particularly on psychosocial risk factors and the prevention of violence in the workplace, set the stage for a wide-ranging discussion that will allow participants to share their lived experiences and to discuss different possible solutions.

“To be insulted, humiliated, bitten, pushed, hit, when you are simply trying to do your job, this is not normal! We must do everything to protect the well-being and mental health of the support staff who accompany our children on a daily basis in their school journey. The CSN mentions this issue in its Orientations in education and, today and tomorrow, the FEESP-CSN school sector continues to work in this direction”, concludes Frédéric Brun, Vice President of the FEESP.

Participate by downloading our social media awareness package below: