Quebec will submit new offers to public sector employees on Wednesday
Sonia LeBel will present new government offers on Wednesday to teachers and nurses in Quebec, in particular.
Quebec will table new proposals on Wednesday addressed to teachers, psychologists and nurses, but refused to reveal the content in advance.
The President of the Council of the Treasury, Sonia LeBel, wants to attract to the tables of the discussion forums, the unions which do not want to participate in this body.
The unions are in fact pleading that the negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreements must take place at the sectoral tables and at the central bargaining table, and not at the forums.
In a Tuesday midday scrum, Ms. LeBel argued that the forums settle issues that affect the professions, all teachers or all nurses, regardless of which union represents them.
Quebec has so far offered wage increases of 9% over five years, plus a lump sum of $1,000, plus an amount equivalent to 2.5% reserved for government priorities. Quebec therefore claims to present an offer of up to 13% over five years.
The common front is demanding a $100 per week increase or the index of Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 2%, for the first year of employment contracts – whichever is most beneficial to workers – then CPI plus 3% for the second year and CPI plus 4% for the third.
The collective agreements in the public and parapublic sectors will expire on March 31.
The common front is made up of the CSN, the CSQ, the FTQ and the APTS, which together represent some 420,000 workers in the public and parapublic sectors.
< p class="e-p">Because it finds that its negotiations with Quebec are not progressing sufficiently, a body of the FIQ has just adopted a mobilization plan which provides for an escalation in the means of pressure .
It is the Extraordinary National Council of the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ) that has just adopted this mobilization plan. It will now be submitted to the general meetings of the members, who will decide in the coming weeks, indicated the president of the FIQ, Julie Bouchard, in an interview with The Canadian Press on Monday.
The plan foresees an escalation in the means of pressure, starting with the holding of kiosks, tours, leaflets, until demonstrating in significant and disturbing places, ceasing to carry out tasks not related to care, not renewing licenses to practice, organizing sit-ins, sending bulk resignation letters, etc.
The gradation of pressure tactics would follow the state of the table of negotiation, specified Ms. Bouchard.
It's also in this context that the FIQ, which represents 80,000 nurses, nursing assistants and other healthcare professionals, adopted its new slogan: There are limits.
