The Charest government has agreed to make concessions to public-sector workers.
In a highly-publicized meeting, Treasury Board president Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Health minister Yves Bolduc and Education Minister Michelle Courchesne met with union leaders Monday night in Quebec city.
Both parties agreed to step-up negotiations in hopes of reaching an agreement by early April.
Contracts expire tomorrow for half a million public sector employees.
Many unions in Quebec joined forces in a "Common Front" for these negotiations, making similar demands for wage increases.
They've staged a wide-ranging PR campaign, which included many protests attended by thousands of union workers, the most recent of which was on March 20.
The unionized workers are now organizing pressure tactics, and are planning to distribute information pamphlets to the public.
In Monday's newspapers, the government took out full-page ads stating that public finances demand rigorous control, and that it is already offering salary increases of $2.3 billion.
