(Quebec) Quebec will file new proposals on Wednesday addressed to teachers, psychologists and nurses, but refused to reveal the content.
The President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, wants to attract to the tables of the discussion forums the unions that do not want to participate in this body.
The unions argue 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 press scrum on Tuesday noon, Mme 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 consumer price index (CPI) plus 2%, for the first year of the employment contracts – whichever formula is most advantageous for the workers – then the CPI plus 3% for the second year and the CPI plus 4% for the third.
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 (Alliance of professional and technical personnel in health and social services), which together represent some 420,000 workers in the public and parapublic sectors.
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 National Extraordinary 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 provides for an escalation in the means of pressure, starting with the holding of kiosks, tours, leaflets, up to “demonstrating in significant and disturbing places”, ceasing to perform tasks unrelated to care, not renewing practice licenses, organize sit-ins, send bulk resignation letters, etc.
The gradation of the means of pressure would follow “the state of the negotiation table”, specified Mr.me Bouchard.
It is 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”.