MRC Pontiac employees vote against agreement in principle

MRC Pontiac employees vote against agreement in principle

In a vote held yesterday afternoon (October 27), the employees of MRC Pontiac overwhelmingly rejected the agreement in principle with the MRC, announced earlier this week by their union, the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ). Negotiations for the new five-year collective agreement come after the employee’s previous contract expired on December 31, 2021.

According to a press release issued this afternoon (October 28) by the SFPQ Regional President Michel Girard, the main point of contention was that the MRC offered salary increases averaging 13% over five years. Girard stated that workers felt “insulted” that the MRC was offering their employees increases of roughly 2.5% per year while municipalities within the MRC were offering their staff increases of 4-5% per year.

In addition, Girard said that the MRC was unable to offer a remote work policy for employees.

After voting down the agreement in principle, the employees voted 80% in favour of an additional 0.7% special contribution, which will go towards their strike fund. On September 8, the employees authorized the union to initiate pressure tactics, which could lead to a strike.

“We will support our members in this fight,” Girard wrote (translated). “These workers want to be recognized for their fair value and obtain equitable gains alongside their counterparts in the municipal sector. Improving their fate inevitably comes from better working and wage conditions. At this level, we can say that the MRC once again misses its target.”