Employees of the MRC Pontiac represented by the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ) voted last Thursday against an offer from the MRC management to renew a collective agreement which expired on December 31, 2021.
Furthermore 80 per cent of MRC employees voted to give the SFPQ a mandate to call a strike at a time deemed appropriate and for the establishment of a strike fund, according to Michel Girard, regional president of the Laurentides-Lanaudière-Outaouais branch of the SFPQ.
The brewing labour dispute appears to centre on two main issues: the rate of salary increases and the MRC’s policy regarding telework, or working for home.
On salaries, the MRC proposed an increase of an average of 13 per cent over 5 years.
“Members feel insulted because the municipalities that are part of this same MRC gave their staff raises ranging from 4 to 5 per cent for the first year. By way of comparison, their employer, the MRC Pontiac, offers them 2.5 per cent per year,” explained Girard.
For telework the union is asking for a policy that treats employees coming from far away on par with those who live close to the workplace.
According to Girard, MRC management will meet with the Council of Mayors to see if a solution can be worked out on November 2. Girard said if nothing conclusive comes from that meeting, the union will begin planning strike days.
MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller hopes that negotiations will continue without a strike.
“I remain optimistic because the union on Friday sent to our management team an invitation to go back to the table. And I believe and I’m confident that we can come to an agreement where we will not need to strike,” said Toller.
When asked to comment the MRC provided this statement on behalf of Annie Vaillancourt, Director of Accounting and Human Resources. “The MRC has offered a salary increase between 13 per cent and 14 per cent over five years depending on the inflation rates.
A teleworking policy has been presented to the employees and is part of the overall agreement. We have been invited to come back to the negotiation table to reach a new agreement and it is our hope to resolve this without a strike.”
The future of the labour dispute will be clear after November 3, according to Girard.
