Major Quebec nurses union reaches agreement with province for five-year-contract

The FIQ announced that it reached an agreement in principle with the Quebec government. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Jacques Boissinot)

After 15 months of negotiations a major nurses union has reached an agreement with the Quebec government for a five-year collective agreement.

The proposed deal needs to be put to the 80,000 members of the Federation interprofessionnelle de la sante du Quebec, known as the FIQ, which also represents respiratory therapists and clinical perfusionists.

The union and Quebec Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel both said today they won't discuss specifics before members have a chance to hear the details.

The FIQ was one of three public sector unions that had still not reached a deal with the province, and negotiations with the two others are ongoing.

Earlier this year, unions representing 420,000 public sector workers in the health and education sectors ratified new collective agreements.

A separate teachers union with roughly 66,000 members also ratified a collective agreement this year.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 19, 2024.