25,000 Quebec professional workers adopt strike mandate

Some 25,000 Quebec government professionals are now taking their turn to adopt a strike mandate to be called at the appropriate time.

The 25,000 members are part of the union of professional Quebec government workers, or Syndicat des professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ), an independent union that is not part of the Common Front. Its members work in various government departments and agencies.

After consultation with members, a majority voted in favour of two distinct types of strike mandates: a lighter one, advocating evening, weekend and statutory holiday strikes, and a tougher one, ranging from a strike that could be counted in minutes, hours or days up to an unlimited strike.

In an interview on Monday, Guillaume Bouvrette, president of the SPGQ, explained that a union body made up of representatives from its 33 sections will decide what form a walkout might take, if any.

In addition to wages, the issue of telecommuting is a priority in these SPGQ negotiations, since its members work in the public sector.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 27, 2023.