A union representing 5,600 employees at Revenu Quebec has announced Tuesday that it is going into mediation negotiations with the government.
Members with the Syndicat de professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ) have been without a collective agreement since April 1, 2020, voting in May for a strike mandate on evenings and weekends.
The union says it "prefers to negotiate to reach a satisfactory collective agreement," arguing the employer has refused to improve its wage offer despite recent inflation and price hikes.
The primary demand is to reduce the pay gap between Revenu Quebec's staff and those working at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) -- a 30 per cent difference, according to the SPGQ.
The union is accusing managers of boosting their own compensation rather than creating pay equity, leading to an unprecedented wave of resignations and departures to the CRA.
The union represents professionals in taxes, communications, administration, collections and investigations, human resources and more.
An additional 6,300 Revenu Quebec clerical, technical and labour employees are members of the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ).
That union reached a tentative agreement with the government in June.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 9, 2022.
