(Montreal) The President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, now presents her “discussion forums” in the public sector as real “negotiation tables” with the unions, a “place next to” other tables.
In an interview with 98.5 FM host Paul Arcand on Monday, the Minister denied wanting to drown public sector negotiations in a larger whole with her three discussion forums, held in parallel with the real negotiation. The unions refuse to attend.
Its three forums – “class team”, “mental health team” and “care team” – are veritable “negotiation tables”, in the same way as the other negotiation tables in which the unions agree to participate, he added. she argued. She even presented these forums as “an added central table”.
Public sector unions refused to participate in these discussion forums in 2020 and they refused again this time. However, they managed to renew the collective agreements for the period 2020-2023 without participating in these forums.
The unions see in these forums a way to drown the fish, to hold endless discussions, when the problems are already known. In their view, clauses should now be negotiated in collective agreements to resolve these problems.