Quebec presents its offers to state employees, which the unions immediately reject

Treasury Board President, Sonia Lebel, unveiled the François Legault government’s offers alongside Health and Education Ministers Christian Dubey and Bernard Drainville.

Sonia Lebel, who is leading discussions with employees of ministries and institutions but also with health and education, says she wants to create Real changes in both networks. He called on trade unions to participate in this to a wider conversation.

What Minister Dubey added was insistence on research Concrete solutions In that order To remove barriers that prevent flexibility in networks.

” We know the solutions; We need to provide the means to implement them quickly. »

The Legault government wants employees in the public and parapublic sectors to be more agile and flexible.

Government offers

Employment contracts in the public and parapublic sectors will expire on March 31.

Quebec offers 3% in the first year and 1.5% for the next four years, 9% for a total of five years.

Added to this is 2.5% over five years, So that the government can meet its prioritiesAccording to the press release.

In recurrence, the government offers 11.5% over five yearsWe explain.

Sonia Lebel confirms that the offer is adjusted for expected inflation.

In addition, the government will add $1000 in the first year and according to him, this will bring it to 13% of what it offers to public and parapublic sector employees in five years.

The Public Sector Inter-Union Common Front CAQ criticized the government for “not heeding or understanding” their demands.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Sylvain Roy Roussel

increases hungry

But as soon as they were presented, these offers were rejected by representatives of the Common Front, which included CSN, CSQ, FTQ and APTS.

The Public Sector Inter-Union Common Front is demanding wage increases above inflation, i.e. 2%, 3% and 4% over three years in addition to what inflation implies.

We are not angry, but we are not very happyDaniel Boyer, president of the Quebec Federation of Workers (FTQ), announced from the start.

Union leaders have protested that the government’s proposal does not protect the purchasing power of state employees in the face of inflation. They cite the Quebec Statistical Institute (ISQ), according to which employees of the Quebec administration Earn about 12% less than other workers.

As alwaysISQ, this wage lag is only less than 9% compared to the private sector, but it reaches almost 19% compared to other public sectors. However, when we compare total compensation (pension plans, group insurance, leave and working hours), the gap drops to around 4%.

of Beautiful actions Remains a dead letter

During these discussions the ministerial level will hold intersectoral and inter-union discussions. All concerned with government priorities Together, we can find solutions and figure out how to implement them.

Because Beautiful actions State and union members have not materialized on land included in previous employment agreements, the Treasury Board president said.

The major public investments we have made, in particular […] In health and education, the expected effects on the ground have not been shownshe lamented.

” The population, the students, the patients are still waiting for definitive results, and I think it’s time to seriously question what doesn’t work and why. »

Ms. LeBel cited as an example Despite all that, there is an extraordinary amount of money available to nurses who are still talking about the same issues in the field.

Both unions and we are not about money, only about thirty health organizations out of a total of 1500 health organizations implemented a measure of local organization of nurses’ scheduling. And those who did saw it Compulsory overtime (TSO) melts like ice in the sunHe \ he said.

Disciplinary Actions and “Pinot Butter Toast”

FTQ’s Daniel Boyer agreed with Minister Lebel It’s not just wages. But the salaries are the same, he continues, and what that gives us is a poverty of labor in our big networks.

For Daniel Enault, Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) Vice President, Managers Spend less time enforcing disciplinary measures for “Pinot Butter” toasts and making schedules with us. It’s all well and good to say that this wouldn’t have happened if the organizers hadn’t taken the time to do it.

Union leaders said the pandemic proved that directives are not getting through.