BAnQ union members reach tentative agreement with employer

The union representing employees at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec announced Sunday evening it reached an agreement in principle with the employer.

The union, affiliated with the CSN, had launched a five-day strike on Thursday in the 13 points of service of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) and did not rule out the possibility of launching an unlimited general strike.

In a brief press release Sunday evening, the union confirmed it had reached a tentative agreement, the content of which was not made public. The deal will first be presented to the members in a general meeting "shortly."

The 350 employees of the United Library and Archives of Quebec have been without a collective agreement since March 2020.

On January 16, union members voted 94 per cent in favour of a 10-day strike bank to be called at a time deemed appropriate. A first block of five days was exercised starting February 14.

In the negotiations, the union deplored, among other things, the BAnQ's "underfunding," which "cause problems of workforce stability and cause waves of layoffs with each wage increase since the employer can no longer support its labour costs."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 14, 2023.