This text is part of the special booklet 33rd congress of the FTQ
In the public sector, negotiations for collective agreements have begun and union demands filed in October received a first proposal from the government on 15 December. These negotiations concern 420,000 workers represented by the Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ), the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN), the Central Trade Unions of Quebec (CSQ) and the Alliance of Professional and Technical Staff of health and social services (APTS).
In the public sector, the FTQ notably represents support employees, those in the administrative sector, as well as beneficiary attendants, that is, more than 55,000 workers in the health and education networks.
The demands filed on October 28 by the Common Front primarily concern salaries.
“With the surge in inflation that we experienced in 2022, the salary increases provided for in the collective agreements of the public sector, which are around 2%, are really not sufficient, maintains Daniel Boyer, president of the FTQ. Our first objective is to maintain purchasing power. We included in our demands a salary indexation clause for each of the three years of the collective agreement, equivalent to the increase in the consumer price index. There is also a clause covering enrichment, which is plus 2%, plus 3% and plus 4% in years 1, 2 and 3 of the agreement, in order to make up for the delay that the employees of our public health and education services have suffered for a very long time compared to other Quebec workers. »
For the first year of the agreement, the union made a “wink” to the 1972 Common Front of Unions by asking that the most advantageous formula be granted to union members, between an increase of 2% and the amount of $100. per week. In fact, fifty years ago, the Common Front fought for the salary to be $100 a week.
“There is a problem of attractiveness and retention in all employment sectors in Quebec, and this is also the case in the public sector, adds Daniel Boyer. If you want to attract and retain people, you have to pay them. »
Employment exercise
The second important aspect of the negotiations concerns the conditions of employment.
“We were already seeing it before the pandemic, our networks need air. Our workers need a real reorganization of work, which will not rest solely on their shoulders and which will ensure that their work is better recognized in the health and education networks, where 80% women work. They held these networks at arm’s length during the pandemic and they have done so for a very long time. If our large networks are important to us, we must work on the conditions of employment, it is not just a question of salary. »
Myths and reality
In the eyes of the population, public sector employees are still perceived as privileged compared to all workers. However, it is a myth, explains Daniel Boyer.
“Each year, the Institut de la statistique du Québec publishes a report and, for at least ten years, we have seen an accumulated backlog for public sector employees,” said the president. We are talking about a delay of 3.9% which includes the total remuneration, which takes into account all the advantages, such as vacation and group insurance. When we are imposed collective agreements with a salary freeze, as was the case in 2005, the gap widens, and salary increases have often been less than those of other sectors of activity in Quebec. We have to ask ourselves what kind of public services we want. We see what state they are in when we speak. The years of austerity when we did not invest, neither in our infrastructures nor in the personnel of our networks, caused delays. »
On December 15, the government tabled its offers: a salary increase of 9% over five years, including 3% in the first year, to which is added a lump sum of $1,000 as well as a 2.5% increase on five years for government “priorities” such as health care teams and classroom support.
The Common Front called these offers “starved” and added that they cause an impoverishment of workers, since they are lower than the inflation forecast of 6.8% for 2022 only.
” [Le gouvernement] ignores the current stratospheric inflation by not presenting any measures allowing the protection of purchasing power. As for the proposed lump sum of $1,000, it is insulting to the women and men who hold public services at arm’s length, since this sum is paid only once and is not calculated when comes the time to account for retirement income and vacations, ”said the Common Front in a press release.
50th anniversary of the Common Front
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, relating to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.
This special content was produced by Le Devoir’s special publications team, reporting to marketing. The editorial staff of Le Devoir did not take part.