After a one-week and three-year strike without a collective agreement, legal aid lawyers in several regions of Quebec have reached an agreement in principle with the government.
“This afternoon, the parties negotiated intensively in order to reach a complete agreement in principle”, can we read in an email sent by the Syndicat des avocats et avocats de l’aide juridique de Montréal et Laval affiliated to the CSN to its members.
“As of Monday, we will be at work to plan the course of the union meetings and we will call you as soon as possible to submit this agreement to you”, continues the missive. The content of the agreement in principle will be known “once it has been submitted to the members, within a few days”, explains the interim president of the CSN union for the Bas-St-Laurent and Gaspésie regions. –Îles-de-la Madeleine, Hugo Caissy, interview with The duty.
“We are happy to have come to this, all parties have worked hard to find an acceptable solution to resolve the impasse of recent years,” he rejoices.
This agreement in principle constitutes an important opening, whereas the lawyers of the legal aid were without collective agreement for more than three years. In particular, they demanded pay parity with Crown prosecutors.
To make itself heard by the government, the Syndicate used drastic measures. A week ago, its members began a strike which had the effect of suspending all the services offered in the legal aid centers of Montreal, Laval, Montérégie, Laurentides, Lanaudière, Bas -Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie. In December 2022, Legal Aid lawyers held a five-day strike. They had already organized several others during the year 2022.
“We were not satisfied with the way the negotiations were going until this week […]. The fact that we managed to obtain concessions makes us realize that our interlocutor was more open to listening to our requests,” notes M.e Cashy.
The lawyer is confident about the reception of the agreement by the 300 lawyers who had been on strike for a week. “We are satisfied with the progress of the negotiations and the agreement that has been reached, and we believe that our members will also be satisfied. »
With Stephanie Marin