Brett Thoms
CAMPBELL’S Bay Sept. 23, 2022
The Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ), the union which represents MRC Pontiac employees, canceled a negotiation meeting on September 7 after a perceived unwillingness on the part of the MRC to negotiate, according to Laurentides-Lanaudière-Outaouais Regional president of the SFPQ Michel Girard.
Girard said the MRC Pontiac only offered both salary and non-salary reductions and was unwilling to negotiate on issues like telework (working from home), holidays and work-life balance.
After this meeting, MRC employees voted for “pressure tactics that could go as far as a strike”, according to Girard.
Jane Toller, warden of the MRC Pontiac responded by saying that nothing is off the table when it comes to negotiations with the union.
The MRC also clarified that while telework is currently suspended, it is only on a temporary basis until a policy is worked out.
As of now Toller is optimistic about the dispute, saying: “I’m very sure that at the end, everyone will be happy. In my five years of being here, the union negotiations always work out.”
The next negotiation meeting is scheduled for September 30, according to Girard.
“We hope that the employer will be more open to bargaining, “ concluded Girard.
