The special constables ironically “celebrated” the 3e Anniversary of the expiration of their employment contract, who are currently before an arbitrator with the Treasury Board because of the deadlocked negotiations.
On this “day of celebration,” officials decorated the lobbies and corridors of various courthouses in the province on Friday morning.
This is one of the only leverages that can be exercised by these peace officers who, for example, cannot shorten their shifts or forego wearing their uniforms.
Special constables responsible for protecting courthouses, making certain arrests and even detaining detainees regret that among their Canadian counterparts they are the lowest-paid doing the same work. For that reason, they think the government’s offers of a 7% increase over three years are insufficient, especially in the context of runaway inflation where the government has reached an agreement with its other peace officials, including wildlife officials and corrections officers.
“It’s about time the government sat down with us and signed a collective bargaining agreement that respects the raises given to other groups of peace officers and treats us fairly in terms of our working conditions,” said the Union of Special president Constables of the Government of Quebec, Franck Perales.
The last salary increase for Constables is dated April 2, 2019.