Quebec's public service union is calling for its members to strike in March.
Discouraged by two years of stalled negotiations with the Treasury Board, the Syndicat de la fonction publique du Québec (SFPQ) is touring the province on Monday in an effort to obtain a strike mandate of about 10 days.
Union members protested in bitterly cold weather on Monday in front of the Conseil du trésor in Quebec City, right next to the National Assembly.
Management is proposing a 2 per cent annual salary increase, with a bonus in the third year for those at the bottom of the salary scale.
"Public servants find it insulting," said Maryse Rousseau, first vice-president of the SFPQ's national executive, in an interview Monday morning with The Canadian Press.
"This is not the way the government will succeed in keeping its employees. So what we are waiting for is recognition, which will come in the form of a salary catch-up."
The union is calling for increases at least equivalent to inflation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 31, 2022.
