Agreement in principle: 17.4% increase over 5 years for Quebec public workers

The Common Front of public sector workers has released the wage increase in the agreement in principle with Quebec.

The union group published a press release Wednesday saying it has negotiated wage increases of 17.4 per cent over five years for its 420,000 public sector workers in the province.

The agreement comes with a purchasing power protection clause for three years of the collective agreement, as well as "numerous improvements in working conditions," the news release reads.

The tentative agreement was reached at the end of December following 11 strike days and weeks of negotiations, but details of the agreement had so far been kept private until union members could be presented with the proposal.

Unions were to begin meeting with their members as of Wednesday, but the Common Front said it released the "broad outlines of the proposed settlement" publicly "as information is circulating."

"Added to this are significant gains concerning group insurance and vacations, in addition to elements relating to parental rights, the attraction and retention of specialized workers and psychologists in particular. Regarding the pension system, some improvements have been obtained and major setbacks have been avoided. All of this adds up to several improvements obtained in sectoral agreements," the news release reads.

Members are expected to receive the entire proposal around Jan. 7.

The heads of unions under the Common Front – the CSN, CSQ, FTQ and APTS – are now tasked with confirming if the proposed agreements reached at the central bargaining table and at each of the sectoral tables constitute a global agreement in principle.

Members are expected to hold a vote at a general meeting later this month.