Dispute over low salaries for teachers at Écoles musulmanes de Montréal

Author: Allison LAMPERT
Source: The Gazette (Montreal), April 24, 2003, p. A6

Original title: Muslim community ready to help schools

Offers to raise cash in teachers’ salary dispute. Education Department unwilling to get involved, saying private institutions must negotiate directly with unions.

Montreal’s Muslim community is prepared to raise the money needed to resolve a dispute over low salaries for teachers at the Ecoles musulmanes de Montreal.

“We’re aware the school has certain problems meeting (its) budget,” said Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal.

“This is our baby, our responsibility. We will do whatever we can do to ensure the survival of the school.”

Elmenyawi said he is trying to act as a moderator between teachers at the Muslim elementary and high school, parents and the schools’ board of trustees.

A spokesperson for the French-language private schools in Notre Dame de Grace refused to give The Gazette an interview yesterday, explaining he would speak publicly only after a trustees’ meeting late yesterday.

The teachers, who have been on strike since Thursday, say the school isn’t respecting their collective agreement, which says they should be paid about $39,000 a year, on average.

Instead, the teachers say they earn between $22,000 to $30,000, depending on experience.

As well, the Federation du personnel de l’enseignement prive, the union representing the 23 teachers, said it has had to file grievances to get the school to contribute to its members’ pension fund, union vice-president Maurice Monette said.

Parents have said they support the teachers and want trustees to give them more information, including access to the school’s financial statements.

Although the elementary school is subsidized by the province, a spokesperson for Quebec’s Education Department said she couldn’t make any financial information public.

Neither would the government get involved in the dispute, spokesperson Johanne Methot said.

“It is certain the (department) will follow this situation very closely, but it can’t intervene in these labour relations, because private schools negotiate directly with the unions,” she said.

Elmenyawi, who has met with parents, said: “They have very valid concerns that must be addressed.”

At the same time, he said he didn’t have enough information to choose sides in the dispute.

“I ask all parties to slow down and calm down in the interest of the children,” he said.

“The community is very much concerned for the victims of this whole situation – the students.”