Bargaining session
At the first bargaining session following the most recent government employer offers on March 31, the APTS-FIQ Alliance, in turn, tabled a counter proposal on the intersectoral clauses. The proposals were on salary, retirement, parental rights and regional disparities.
On the salary front, the APTS-FIQ Alliance repeated that a 7.4% salary catch-up is essential and must be added to the employer’s offer of 5% over 3 years. The lump sum amounts proposed by the government must also be integrated into the salary increases.
For retirement, the Alliance is now maintaining two demands at the bargaining table for discussion, to set the actuarial reduction for early retirement at 5% a year and make the gradual retirement program more flexible. The other demands could be discussed at the inter-round committee proposed by the employer party.
As for parental rights, the Alliance agrees with the principle of an inter-round committee but wants to negotiate four demands now: the indemnity paid during a preventive withdrawal, postponement of vacation at the employee’s discretion, postponement or splitting of some leaves linked to parental rights based on the taking of other leaves and lastly, an increase in the number of leaves linked to the follow-up of a pregnancy.
Clarification was also provided on demands related to regional disparities:
- Adding an 8% retention premium for Abitibi-Témiscamingue;
- Implementing regional working committees for 10 regions to evaluate the granting of the 8% retention premium;
- Adding the localities of Isles-aux-Grues and Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs to Sector I and the locality of Oujé-Bougoumou to Sector III;
- Granting a leave without pay without conditions to work in a northern institution, including the CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, for 36 months with possibility of extending it up to 48 months;
- Full compensation for tax losses related to taxable benefits;
- Granting an additional indemnity of 66% of the expenses incurred to transport food;
- Removing the 2nd paragraph of clause 29.28 to ensure the healthcare professionals’ safety.