Wage increase of 17.4% over five years, improved pension plan, bonus bonuses for specialized workers: the Common Front revealed on Sunday the main parameters of the agreement in principle that it will submit to its members from mid- January.
The broad outlines of the agreement were shared following consultations over the past few days within the group’s intermediate bodies.
From now on, the decision to ratify or not the agreement is in the hands of the workers, who will be called to vote between January 15 and February 19. More than half of them will have to vote in favor of the agreement for it to be accepted.
“Our members have the floor,” declared the first vice-president of the CSN, François Enault, during a press conference on Sunday. The four union organizations that make up the Common Front (CSQ, APTS, CSN and FTQ) together represent some 420,000 workers in the education and health networks.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
The president of the CSQ, Éric Gingras, and the president of the FTQ, Magali Picard
Concluded a few days before the end of the year, the agreement in principle provides for a salary increase of 17.4% over five years, for all sectors represented. An increase of 6% is planned for the first year of the convention, with feedback on 1er April 2023. “This is the first time in 40 years that we have had an increase of 6% for one year,” underlined the president of the CSQ, Éric Gingras.
Before being increased to 10.3% in October and then to 12.7% in December, the government’s initial salary increase offer was 9% over five years.
Another gain cited by union leaders: a purchasing power protection clause for the last three years of the employment contract. The agreement also contains advances regarding group insurance and vacations, to which are added improvements to retirement plans and parental rights. If the agreement is accepted, an increase is planned for the attraction and retention bonus for specialized workers, as well as a 10% salary increase for psychologists in all networks.
The group also welcomed having made the government back down on some of its initial demands, in particular that of increasing the working week to 37.5 hours instead of 35 hours.
“There is no retreat at the central table,” emphasized Éric Gingras. Asked whether the group recommended signing the agreement, he replied that he would not present it to members if it “was not interesting”. “On the FTQ side, it is recommended,” added Magali Picard.
The agreement in principle presented on Sunday does not address issues related to working conditions, which were negotiated at the sectoral tables. “The agreement must be taken as a whole: the gains obtained with regard to the matters negotiated at the central table are added to those of the sectoral tables with regard to working and exercise conditions. In short, the coming weeks will bring important discussions in our circles,” declared the Common Front on the sidelines of the press conference.
In the office of the Minister of the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, it is emphasized that the agreement in principle “would improve the work environment while promoting access to quality services in our hospitals and our schools. »
“The agreements in principle that we have reached are responsible, balanced and in line with the wishes of Quebecers,” he argued by email.
The Common Front union members walked off the job for 11 days in November and December before reaching this hypothetical settlement with the Quebec government.
During the press conference, union leaders wanted to thank the population for their “unwavering” support during these negotiations, emphasizing at the same time the “historic mobilization” of its members in recent weeks.
“We hope that there will be as many of them at the general meetings to be able to appreciate what is presented to them,” declared Éric Gingras.
This public exit from the group comes less than 48 hours before the return to class of the majority of Quebec students, after an end of the year disrupted by strikes. The Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, must present his catch-up plan on Tuesday for students who have missed up to almost a month of school.
After reaching an agreement with the government at the end of December, the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE) announced the suspension of the indefinite general strike.
For its part, the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), which represents 80,000 members, including the majority of Quebec nurses, is continuing its negotiations with the government. The union requested the help of a conciliator in December to resolve the impasse.
Improvements to the collective agreement included in the agreement
- Acquisition of the right to 5e week of vacation after 15 years of seniority and reaching full 5e week of vacation from 19 years of seniority rather than 25 years
- Improvements to the pension plan, including the possibility of extending the phased retirement agreement for up to seven years
- Improvements to the parental rights plan, notably the addition of a day to the bank of special leave for pregnancy monitoring
- An increase in employer agreed contributions for health insurance
- An increase in the attraction and retention bonus to counter the shortage for specialized workers, increasing from 10% to 15%
- A 10% salary increase for psychologists in all networks, taken into account by the pension plan