MRC employees hold first strike day, management agrees to return to the table
MRC employees hold first strike day, management agrees to return to the table
The unionized employees at MRC Pontiac held their first strike day on Wednesday afternoon (November 23), coinciding with the council of mayors’ budget meeting. The employees, along with representatives from the SFPQ union blasted music, waved flags and spun noisemakers in a not-so-subtle signal that they wish to be heard by MRC management.
SFPQ Regional President Michel Girard explained that the primary bone of contention was that they were asking for salary increases of at least 14.5% over five years plus two additional holidays, while the MRC negotiating team had offered 13.5% with no additional holidays. The employees currently have 15 statutory holidays. At the time, the two sides were at an impasse.
The union and management have been unable to come to an agreement since the employees’ previous contract expired at the end of 2021. The unionized employees have authorized 10 strike days and must provide 10 days notice before any action.
The group met with the MRC council just before the budget meeting got underway, and were assured that management would return to the bargaining table. As they left the building, chants of solidarity broke out.
Speaking the day after the meeting, MRC interim Director General Kim Lesage said that the previous offer was made prior to her tenure in the DG position. She said that they didn’t have a date picked, but they would likely be sitting down with the union representatives next week to discuss the situation further.
She said that the 1% difference between what the union was demanding and what management had previously offered amounted to around $25,000 per year, spread across roughly 30 employees.
