An agreement in principle was finally reached between Quebec and the Union of Public and Parapublic Services of Quebec (SFPQ), which represents some 27,000 civil servants.
The large independent union was one of the few in the public and parapublic sectors to still have failed to reach an agreement with the Quebec government to renew its collective agreement.
The agreement in principle was reached during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“We reached a proposed agreement in principle with the SFPQ representing more than 26,000 civil servants. We now have agreements with nearly 85% of employees in the public and parapublic sectors,” rejoiced the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel.
The draft agreement will be submitted Friday to an intermediate body of the SFPQ, the negotiation council. If it obtains approval, it will be submitted to members so that they can decide “as quickly as possible,” the SFPQ announced on Wednesday.
Extremely rare in its case, the SFPQ had begun to consult its members to obtain a mandate for heavy pressure tactics which could go as far as an unlimited general strike.
If its bargaining council ratifies the draft agreement in principle, Friday, the tour of members to decide on this strike mandate will be transformed into a tour to decide on the agreement in principle.
In addition to salary increases, for the SFPQ, teleworking was a priority issue.
The Quebec Public and Parapublic Service Union represents some 27,000 civil servants in various ministries, as well as in government organizations such as the Société de l’assurance-automobile du Québec (SAAQ), the Equity Standards Commission, of occupational health and safety (CNESST) and the Régie de l’assurance- santé du Québec (RAMQ).
And the others
This agreement in principle at the SFPQ comes a few days after that of the 26,000 members of the Union of Government Professionals of Quebec (SPGQ).
In the large union organizations, there now remains the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), which has still not settled for its 80,000 members, nurses, practical nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists.
Others have still not settled, such as the Health Federation, affiliated with the CSQ, which also represents nurses, as well as 2,000 employees who work in the North for the Cree and Kativik school boards, members of the CSQ.