Education support staff in Quebec at breaking point: trade unions call for urgent action
A dramatic rise in absences from work, sick leave, and disability leave highlights the decline in working conditions for education support personnel (ESP) in Quebec. To mark National School Support Staff Week, their trade unions have called on the authorities to take action to protect these workers who ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the education system.
Education support personnel are essential to all schools and further education institutions. Yet behind their commitment lies an increasingly worrying reality: the decline in their health and their working conditions.
According to the latest figures from Quebec’s Education Ministry, absences linked to workplace accidents, sick and disability leave have risen sharply over the last five years, pointing to overstretched workplaces and an increasingly debilitated workforce.
Alarming figures
Between the 2020-2021 and 2024-2025 school years, the number of support staff with work absences recognised by the CNESST (Quebec’s government agency overseeing labour standards, pay equity or occupational health and safety) rose from 2,580 to 4,095, an increase of 58.7%. The total number of corresponding days off work almost doubled, rising from 76,285 to 152,022 days.
The situation is equally alarming when it comes to sick leave. The number of workers taking time off sick has risen by nearly 39%, while the number of days taken off has increased by more than 86%. Long-term disability is also on the rise, with a 29.5% increase in the number of people off work for this reason.
For Éric Pronovost, President of the FPSS union federation of school support staff, affiliated to the CSQ union confederation of Quebec, these figures reflect a human crisis that can no longer be ignored:
“Behind these figures are the thousands of workers who support students in Quebec every day. What the data tells us is that education support staff are at breaking point. When workplace accidents almost double and disability rates rise year after year, there is a serious problem that requires immediate action.”
Overworked, understaffed, and exposed to violence
According to the FPSS-CSQ, these statistics confirm the concerns raised for several years now by support staff regarding excessive workloads, the rise in violence in schools, staff shortages, and the difficulties covering for absent workers. These factors are contributing to a decline in working conditions and an increase in physical and mental health problems.
The situation also risks intensifying the recruitment and retention challenges already impacting Quebec’s education system, undermining the services provided to students.
Éric Pronovost insists on the need for immediate investment:
“We cannot keep placing ever-greater demands on staff that are already exhausted. Investment is needed in prevention, better working conditions, and workload reduction, as well as practical steps to ensure safe and healthy workplaces.”
The federation is calling on the government and education sector employers to acknowledge the magnitude of the problem and to take swift action to stem the decline in occupational health and safety affecting education support staff.
Recognition must go beyond words
This warning was issued as Quebec celebrated National School Support Staff Week, held every year during the last full week of September. This week of recognition is aimed at highlighting the vital role played by support staff in the education system.
The President of the CSQ, Éric Gingras, took the opportunity to pay tribute to all ESP, at the same time as emphasising that true recognition must start with better working conditions:
“Recognising you means thanking you and acknowledging all the work you do. But the greatest recognition you could receive is to have the working conditions you need and the financial resources required to do your job. Together, we’re keeping up the fight for that.”
A cornerstone of the education system
Support staff in Quebec’s education institutions cover a wide range of administrative, technical, paraprofessional, manual, and student-facing roles. Day after day, they welcome, accompany, organise, repair, support, and contribute to creating fully functional and inclusive learning environments.
As Éric Pronovost points out, “our public education system would not be what it is without these workers who, day in, day out, play a vital role at every level of our school system”.
For Education International, which celebrates World Education Support Personnel Day every year on 16 May, these workers are essential to the quality of education. The figures revealed in Quebec serve as a reminder of the urgent need to ensure safe, dignified, and sustainable working conditions for all education support staff.
