(Montreal) The Union of United Workers of the Library and National Archives of Quebec announced Sunday evening that it had reached an agreement in principle with the employer.
The union, affiliated with the CSN, had called a five-day strike Thursday in the 13 service points of the Library and National Archives of Quebec (BAnQ) and did not rule out the possibility of launching an unlimited general strike.
In a brief press release published Sunday evening, the union confirmed that it had reached a tentative agreement, the content of which, however, has not been made public. The agreement will first be presented “soon to the members at a general meeting”.
The approximately 350 employees of the Union of United Workers of the Library and National Archives of Quebec have been without a collective agreement since March 2020.
On January 16, union members voted 94% in favor of a 10-day strike bank to be called when deemed appropriate. A first block of five days was exercised from February 14.
In the context of the negotiations, the union deplored in particular the “underfunding” of the BAnQ, which “causes problems of stability of the workforce and causes waves of layoffs with each wage increase, since the employer can no longer support his labor costs.
“To reach an agreement, the Treasury Board will have to improve its offers with a financial impact, since they still do not meet our expectations. We are still demanding a significant salary increase that will finally recognize our work at its fair value, ”said union president Sylviane Cossette on Thursday at the start of the five-day strike.
During the strike, the National Archives buildings were closed, as was the center located in Rosemont.
At the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal, it was still possible to borrow and return documents, but several other services, such as subscriptions and telephone services, were interrupted.