Some 6,000 workers at the Agence du Revenu du Québec (ARQ), members of the Union of Public and Parapublic Service of Quebec (SFPQ), have ratified the agreement in principle reached with their employer for the renewal of their collective agreement.
Workers accepted the agreement by more than 80% in an electronic vote held over the past few days, the union said in a statement Monday.
“The high approval rate clearly reflects the members’ satisfaction with this agreement. The course of the negotiations will have been long, more than 24 months (…). The new collective agreement will make it possible to catch up with salaries compared to other public administrations,” declared Christian Daigle, General President of the SFPQ.
The vice-president of the SFPQ and political manager of the negotiations at the ARQ, Patrick Audy, underlined that the agreement in principle allows “significant improvements in terms of salaries, insurance, days off and in the progress of career with Revenu Québec”.
The new agreement is for a period of six years and is applicable from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2026, Revenu Québec said on Tuesday. In particular, it provides for salary increases of 2% annually, the addition of floating holidays as well as a significant increase in the employer’s contribution to drug insurance.
“I am convinced that this agreement positions Revenu Québec as an employer of choice. We are building together the winning conditions to attract new employees and promote the retention of those who make up our team,” said the president and CEO of Revenu Québec, Christyne Tremblay.
The 6,000 employees concerned are mainly technicians and office workers.
