During a press conference this Sunday afternoon, the Public Sector Common Front confirmed that the agreement in principle concluded with Quebec at the end of December will soon be presented to its members.
The details of this agreement will be presented to them at the General Assembly and it is up to them to play along, explained the speakers of the Common Front, namely François Énault, first vice-president of the CSN, and Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ, Magali Picard, president of the FTQ, and Robert Comeau, President of APTS, at a press conference today.
These four trade union organizations bring together more than 300 unions that will convene general meetings from January 15th to February 19th. Together they represent around 420,000 employees in the education and health networks.
Impatient union members
These union members — who, like the general public, were unaware of the details of the agreement until this afternoon — were eager to learn more.
When they heard the information about the salary increases, some of them were disappointed, said Sylvain Duclos, a teacher, in an interview with RDI. They had adhered to the Common Front's demands, which went beyond that, but of course it was a negotiation game, so it was normal, he testified.
Wages
However, according to union leaders, the annual increase negotiated with the government of François Legault is the largest in the term of a collective agreement since 1979.
This agreement provides for a salary increase of 17.4% over five years, negotiated across all sectors represented. There is a 6% increase for the first year of the agreement, retroactive to April 1, 2023 if the agreement is accepted.
In addition to this increase, there is also a purchasing power protection clause for the last three years of the employment contract.
However, it will not only be about salaries and this information will also be of interest to union members.
working conditions
In addition to salary increases, improvements in vacation, pension provision, insurance and parental rights are planned.
The Joint Front therefore mentions the acquisition of the right to a fifth week of vacation after 15 years of service, improvements to the pension plan, including the possibility of extending the sliding pension agreement up to seven years, and an increase in employer contributions for health insurance.
A 10 percent salary increase for psychologists in all networks as well as an increase in the recruitment and retention bonus are also planned to counteract the shortage of skilled workers.
The agreement must be viewed as a whole: the progress made on the issues negotiated at the central table is added to that of the sectoral tables on working and exercise conditions. In short, the coming weeks will bring important discussions in our communities.
“It is a great pride for us to have contributed as a Common Front to this great historic movement,” said the union leaders, taking this opportunity to recall that the negotiations were not easy.
In an interview on RDI, former director of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Quebec, Marc Ranger, explained that discussions are more difficult at certain industry tables because quite significant changes and compromises have been made there.
Satisfied managers
When we are at the Common Front level, it is a challenge to mobilize everyone. But I think that the results of the consultation with the authorities are likely to be positive overall, he says.
The government's initial salary increase offer was 9% over five years. The Treasury then increased it to 10.3% for the same period in late October and to 12.7% in early December.
Union members stopped work for 11 days in November and December before reaching a proposed deal with the Quebec government on December 28.
Union leaders thanked their members for their strong mobilization across Quebec, which was crucial for the government to understand the needs in our networks.
They made it clear that this colossal work was done in various ways, daily and away from the cameras.
They also welcomed the people of Quebec, who overwhelmingly supported their demands.