By Canadian Press

Quebec’s common front unionized workers to begin voting on new deal with province

Jan 14, 2024 | 12:01 PM

MONTREAL — About 420,000 unionized public sector workers will begin voting Monday on an agreement in principle reached with the Quebec government over a new collective deal.

The workers, who are part of the so-called “common front” of four major provincial unions that represent education and health care workers, have until Feb. 19 to weigh in on the agreement.

Union presidents have said in recent days they were comfortable with the agreement reached with the province last month  and know their members are eager to see the contents of the tentative deals.

The agreement in principle includes at least 17.4 per cent in pay raises over five years and inflation protection for the final three years of the deal.

The common front walked out for 11 days in November and December and had threatened an indefinite strike this month, while another education union, the FAE, were on a general strike for 22 days.

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The FAE has also reached a deal in principle and its 66,000 members are voting on the proposal over the next few weeks.

But the province is still negotiating with a major health-care worker union, the 80,000-member Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ), which said it would refrain from public comments until Monday in order to focus on negotiations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press