(Quebec) The day after the unions rejected his new salary offer, Prime Minister François Legault says he is ready to further open his pockets in return for the end of the “rigidity” of collective agreements.
According to him, “the future of the health and education networks” is at stake.
The lack of improvement in services in these two sectors is the main reason for the electorate’s dissatisfaction with the Legault government, according to a Léger poll.
“We are very open on monetary matters. I expect that we will agree on salary increases. Where it is difficult is that there is a lot of resistance from the unions to give us the normal managerial powers that we must have in an efficient organization,” argued François Legault during a press scrum on Thursday, before question period at the Salon bleu.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
François Legault
On Wednesday, the government submitted a new salary offer to the 600 state employees. The common front and the other unions immediately rejected it, deeming the salary increases of 12.7% in five years insufficient. The strike movement continues.
“It is so important for me to improve health and education services that we are open to other compromises” on salaries, said Mr. Legault. Moreover, the new salary offer was not qualified as final by Quebec.
“For decades, we have not been able to improve education and health services due to the rigidity of collective agreements,” he said. He argued that a union can block an agreement on a work schedule agreed between a manager and an employee. “It is not normal that our network is managed by unions rather than by managers,” he added.
“This is what is at the heart of the negotiations. This will take courage because, in fact, the unions have never ceded these powers for decades. »
According to him, if the unions accept the request, managers will obtain new powers, but in return they will become “accountable for results” with the reforms of ministers Christian Dubé and Bernard Drainville.
“If we obtain that, and I am determined to obtain both, we will be able to finally improve health and education services,” he said. The use of a gag order is looming to pass the Dubé reform, Bill 15.
During the presentation of his economic update, Finance Minister Eric Girard said that the government has no room for maneuver and that “any additional spending will require borrowing.” However, François Legault indicated that the new global offer, which represents an additional expenditure of one billion dollars per year in the long term compared to the previous proposal, falls “within the financial framework” of the government.
The common front (CSN, FTQ, CSQ and APTS) maintains the launch of seven consecutive days of strike starting Friday. He will take stock on Thursday at a press conference. The Autonomous Education Federation (FAE) continues its indefinite general strike, which has been ongoing since November 23. The Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ) will go on strike from December 11 to 14. The Union of Professionals of the Government of Quebec (SPGQ), whose members are in 10 CEGEPs, will strike from December 13 to 15.