An agreement in principle has been reached to offer pay equity payments to 2,000 medical equipment sterilization workers.

The agreement settles complaints dating back to 2010 and 2015, representing thousands of dollars.

They involve 2,000 medical device reprocessors, primarily women, who sterilize surgical and medical equipment.

The tentative agreement was reached by three major labour organizations: the CSN-affiliated Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS), and the FTQ-affiliated Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Syndicat québécois des employés de service (SQEES).

The agreement will have to be submitted to members in the next few days.

Until then, its contents are not being disclosed.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 30, 2022.