This text is part of the special section Unionism
Negotiations between the provincial government and the Quebec Public and Parapublic Service Union (SFPQ) are not only stalling; they are at a standstill, both in terms of salaries and working conditions.
“The remuneration offer on the table is the same today as last December, i.e. 12.7% over 5 years,” says Christian Daigle, general president of the SFPQ. Following the agreement reached between the Common Front and the government on an increase of 17.4% over 5 years, we hoped to receive a similar proposal. But no. We are still waiting for a new proposal from the government. »
An incomprehensible situation in his eyes since the remuneration currently granted to the public service is far lower than that of other public administrations, not to mention that of the private sector. “We are simply not competitive,” he continues. It is difficult to retain and recruit staff, which makes it difficult to maintain services. In addition, we are depriving ourselves of the best elements, which would allow us to improve the quality of the services offered. »
Labor conditions
According to the SFPQ, teleworking, which gained momentum during the pandemic, should be an important issue to raise during these negotiations. “We are rather faced with a refusal from the government which refuses to discuss the subject with us,” explains Mr. Daigle. The government maintains that only the employer can decide how teleworking works. I don’t understand why we can’t even discuss it, especially since teleworking is complex and varies greatly depending on the work performed and the teleworker’s place of residence. It makes no sense that it is impossible to adapt a collective agreement to reflect the new realities of the world of work. »
Another contentious subject: that of Bill 60, now ratified and become law. This legislation, among other things, distinguishes certain categories of employment that one can occupy only if one holds an appropriate college or university diploma. “It is a directive which reduces, if not negates, the quality of the expertise acquired through learning at work,” says Christian Daigle. Thus, an employee who has worked for 12 years in a sector that he has learned to know and master would be refused promotion for a job that he could easily do, due to lack of diploma. It’s illogical. And that contradicts the idea that you can build a career within the public service by accumulating experience. »
The fear of austerity
The return of austerity as a modus operandi in government worries Christian Daigle to the greatest extent. “The current situation means that the government cannot really reduce its spending on education and health,” he emphasizes. It is therefore the other missions of the State which will suffer and suffer [les réductions budgétaires]. And this will lead to a whole series of complications. For example, we are currently in the middle of a housing crisis. Is it time to cut the functioning of the Administrative Housing Tribunal? »
Rather than cutting back on spending, the government would do well, according to Christian Daigle, to tackle unnecessary spending, such as the use of subcontracting, on which the government has become increasingly dependent and which costs more than work done internally.
“We must put an end to subcontracting, except for very specialized tasks,” he believes. For example, in IT, there are currently 1,000 jobs that could be available just for the upkeep and maintenance of the computer network. IT outsourcing could be limited to specialized tasks, such as software design. »
But to do this, the government would have to change its attitude towards its public service, according to Christian Daigle. “There is this conception in government that the public service must act as a customer service, but the government is not a private enterprise. The civil service does not offer customer service; it offers services to citizens. »
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