Renegotiations between Quebec and public sector unions

Talks between the Quebec government and public sector unions resumed Tuesday afternoon after a 24-hour break aimed at allowing everyone to enjoy Christmas. In particular, we will monitor the central table where salaries and pensions are negotiated.

In all sectoral tables of the General Front, compromises were found on the question of flexibility on education or health. The question is whether the salary hike will meet expectationsFormer unionist Mark Ranger noted in an interview RDI.

He emphasizes that Nothing has won yet And acceptance of most of these settlement hypotheses depends on agreement on the central table. The General Front wants wage increases to be sufficient to counter inflation, but to allow its a certain saturation, while the government tries to respect its budget structure without humiliating the unions.

Two important trade union organizations, the Federation of Autonomous Education (FAE) and the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec (FIQ), have not yet hypothesized agreements in principle on the sectoral table of working conditions.

The same goes for educators d with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who have already agreed to resume negotiations on December 28.

Mark Ranger, former Quebec director of CUPE.

Photo: The Canadian Press/Jacques Bossinot

Mr. If the ranger is relatively confident FIQIn the presence of a conciliator, he believes the pressure is immense. FAE.

I don't know how to restart the indefinite general strike from January 8 or 9 with the agreement in principle reached by the other major organization (FSE-CSQ) representing 60% of the teachers.

We must expect a quick decision, otherwise it will be unacceptable, first of all FAEhe added.

By Christmas Eve, almost all of the Common Front's 420,000 had reached tentative agreements in principle. However, these need to be approved by their respective bodies and then approved by their before being finalized. It is:

Health :

APTS (Alliance of Professional and Technical Workers in Health and Social Services) – 65,000
FSSS-CSN (Confederation of Health and Social Services) – 120,000 in the public sector
FP-CSN (Confederation of Professionals) – 8000 specializing in health and education
FSQ-CSQ (Quebec Health Federation – 5000
SQEES-298-FTQ (Quebec Union of Service Employees, Local 298) – 25,000
It's not-Cube (d with Provincial Council of Social Affairs Cube And FTQ) – 30,000

Education :

FPSES-CSQ (Confederation of Higher Education Staff) – 4,300
FEC-CSQ (Association of College Education) – 3000
FPPE-CSQ (Confederation of Education Professionals) – 10,000
FPPC-CSQ (Confederation of Professional College Employees) – 2000
ESF-CSQ (Confederation of Education Societies) – 95,000
FPSS-CSQ (Association of School Auxiliary Staff) – 40,000
FNEEQ-CSN (National Federation of Teachers of Quebec) – 35,000
FEESP-CSN (Confederation of Public Service Employees) – 35,000
SEPB-FTQ (Union of Professional and Clerical Employees) – 15,000
UES-800-FTQ (Union of Service Employees) – 20,000
C-Cube (d with Council of Colleges, Cube And FTQ) – 12,000
SS-Cube (Canadian Union of Public Employees d with CUPE and FTQ) – 7,500

But an agreement in principle at the negotiating table is not necessarily a guarantee that the conflict will end if union ultimately vote against those agreements.

In more than a year, I've never seen so many deals in the public and private sectors where of a legislature voted in principle to say, “No, we don't want this, it's not satisfactory, go back and do it.” Your homework.”Mark Ranger noted on the show's microphone All in one morning On the airwaves of ICI Premier.

The former trade unionist cites the cases of the Sûreté du Québec, Bombardier, the SAQ, bus manufacturer Prevost, Loto-Québec, Siemens in Drummondville, the mining company IOC on the North Shore, or longshoremen in British Columbia.

Therefore, union leaders A Unbelievable pressure In order to make no mistake about what they are going to get at the negotiating tables, he concluded.