The majority of Iron Ore Quebec employees (86.7%) signed a new five-year collective agreement that announced salary increases of up to 30.62%.
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“This contract makes the Quebec company Ore de fer Québec one of the mines where employees are paid the best. “This is thanks to the presence of the steelworkers, who were able to negotiate on an equal footing, so that the workers were taken into account and valued according to their contribution to the success of the mine,” argued the president of the local section on Friday. 9996, Sébastien Bergeron, via press release.
The average increase is forecast to be 26.25% over a five-year period, reaching 30.62% for day laborers.
Salaries are expected to increase by 13.25% in the first year, by 3% in the following three years and finally by 4% in the final year.
Day laborers will therefore go from a salary of $39.79 an hour to $53.45 over the five years, while electricians will go from a salary of $50 an hour to $65 at the end of the contract will rise, said the Union of Steelworkers (FTQ).
The additional 4.37% increase for day laborers is justified by the reclassification in the pay scale, making them the highest paid workers on the North Shore, the company said.
The overnight premium was also increased from $1.50 to $2, the highest among North Coast mining companies. Group insurance has also been improved.
About sixty improvements were made to the normative part of the employment contract and a clause on permanent employment of seasonal workers was negotiated.
“The extent of improvements in the normative aspects of the contract made it possible to conclude an agreement with a longer duration, i.e. 5 years. These changes have resulted in greater equity and stability for workers,” said Marc Tremblay, representative of the Steelworkers union.
The ratification of the Convention followed a series of general meetings held from Monday to Thursday at which an agreement in principle was presented.