Press release
THE COMMON FRONT

Release

Public sector negotiations

“TOGETHER, as one” | The Common Front submits its demands

Quebec City, October 28th, 2022. – The Common Front presented its demands to the Treasury Board today as part of the round of negotiations for the renewal of collective agreements in the public sector which is beginning.

“Our message to the government is clear: together, as one, we are demanding working and salary conditions commensurate with the services we provide to the polulation,” said François Enault, first vice-president of the CSN, Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ, Robert Comeau, president of the APTS, and Daniel Boyer, president of the FTQ, as they left the Treasury Board this morning.

“Today, for the 420,000 or so workers in the education, health and social services and higher education that we represent, this is an important step in the negotiation process that is beginning. Because over the years, working conditions have largely deteriorated and wages have become clearly insufficient. Providing quality services and working for the well-being of the population is a priority.
But we still need to have the means to do it… and enough people to do it,” added the union leaders.

The demands made by the Common Front are the result of a broad process of consultation with its members and are aimed in particular at enrichment and permanent protection against inflation that guarantees the maintenance of their purchasing power.

In concrete terms, the wage demand is as follows

• For 2023: an increase of $100 per week (35 hours) for all workers OR the application of a permanent annual indexation mechanism based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus a 2% increase, according to the most advantageous formula.
• For 2024: application of a permanent annual indexation mechanism based on the CPI, plus a 3% increase.
• For 2025: application of a permanent annual indexation mechanism based on the CPI, plus a 4% increase.

In addition to the wage demand, other demands are also made by the Common Front, particularly with regards to :

• retirement
• parental rights
• regional disparities
• group insurance

The union organizations that make up the Common Front remind us that these women and men who work with heart and pride every day are part of the daily lives of Quebecers. Not a week goes by without public discussion of their difficult working conditions, the shortage of personnel and the major consequences that this has on the services offered to the population.

“The time has come for concrete action. And that necessarily goes through negotiations. It is urgent to improve working conditions and to raise salary conditions. We hope that this negotiation will be conducted with the seriousness required by the current context. The ball is now in the government’s court,” said the union leaders.

About the Common Front

Gathered as a Common Front for the 2023 public sector negotiations, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ),
the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) and the Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS) represent more than 420,000 Quebec government workers in the public sector, in education, in health and social services and in higher education. The collective agreements will expire on March 31st, 2023.

More information available at frontcommun.org

Information Jean Laverdière, FTQ Cellulaire : 514 893-7809 jlaverdiere@ftq.qc.ca

Public sector Negotiations – Filing of demands at the sectorial table

Last October 19th, the SEU Local 800 proceeded to the filing of the union demands at the sectorial table. In all, close to 90 demands were formulated in order to improve the working conditions of the members of SEU Local 800 working in the following five school boards: Lester B Pearson, English Montreal, New Frontier, Riverside and Central Quebec.

Just like the demands deposited at the central table by the Common Front, the demands of SEU Local 800 at the sectorial table are also the result of a process of consultation with the members. The demands were then presented to the members during the month of September and were voted on. The sectorial and central demands were adopted unanimously by the members of each school boards represented by SEU Local 800.The demands are related notably to the following themes: the fight against precariousness, the valorization of the support staff with better working conditions, the movement of personnel, health and well-being at work as well as a better organization of work.

The negotiation committee representing the members of the SEU Local 800 at the sectorial table is composed of Pierre-Paul Binet Jr, special education technician at Central Quebec School Board, Christopher Williamson, caretaker at the Lester B Pearson School Board and Jacqueline Anciaes, union representative.

What is the sectorial table? It is the place where the non-monetary working conditions of the members of the SEU Local 800 are negotiated by the negotiating committee designated by the members of the education division of the union. These negotiations are conducted with the CPNCA (employer negotiating committee for the English school boards)

This is only the beginning of a lengthy negotiation process that will last several months. We will keep you informed throughout this process.

Information :
Cyntia Gagnier, coordinator of activities
514-385-1717 ext 225
c.gagnier@ues800.org