Revenu Quebec’s professional staff has been on strike since Friday

The 5,600 or so professionals at Revenu Quebec will be on indefinite strike Friday evening and throughout the weekend to protest the impasse in negotiations.

The walkout will be in effect from 6:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday to Friday, the Syndicate de Professionals et Professionals du Gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ), whose members have been without a collective agreement since April 1, 2020, said Wednesday.

Despite the strike, conciliation sessions will continue, according to the union, which regrets the employer’s refusal to improve its offer of 2% annual wage increases for three years, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

SPGQ’s proposals aim to reduce the overall compensation gap, which can reach 30% between professional staff of the Revenue Quebec and the Canada Revenue Agency.

“The union noticed that the RQ representatives were not interested in discussing conditions that would promote the attraction and retention of professional staff,” expressed Guillaume Bouvret, third vice-president of the SPGQ.

“So far, the SPGQ has confirmed that the employer’s position will keep its members out of the new collective agreement, which would allow them to receive wages compared to other public administrations,” lamented Mr Bouvret.