Quebec says public sector union offer 'light years' from acceptable
CBC News | Posted: November 18, 2015 4:28 AM | Last Updated: November 18, 2015
Unions call new proposal a 'significant gesture,' postpone strike days scheduled for Dec. 1,2 and 3
The Quebec government says a counter-offer made today by public sector unions is "completely unacceptable" and "light years" from an agreement.
The union says its offer presented Wednesday would amount to a 6.9 per cent salary increase over three years, including a 2.9 per cent increase for 2015.
The government disputed the union's numbers, saying the proposal amounts to an increase of 10.2 per cent over the same period after corrected GDP projections and salary relativities.
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Treasury Board president Martin Coiteux said such an increase would require a massive increase in taxes and push the province further into deficit.
The government's last offer on Nov. 6 provided for a salary increase that amounted to 5.3 per cent over the next five years.
"There's a $12.4-billion difference between what the government is putting on the table and what the unions now want," Coiteux said.
What the government offered and what it says the unions asked for:
"If this is the case, we have light years ahead of us before we can reach an agreement," Coiteux said.
Coiteux said the province's chief negotiator, Maurice Charlebois, has been asked to meet with the unions to find a way around the latest impasse.
'A significant gesture'
The unions were originally seeking a 13.5 per cent increase over five years. Union representatives said the new offer was aimed at putting an end to the contract stalemate.
"This is a significant gesture," Front commun representative Louise Chabot said of the new offer.
The Front commun also said it would delay strike days planned for Dec. 1, 2 and 3 in order to give negotiations an opportunity to advance.
"We're giving the government the chance to seize the opportunity that we're giving them today," said Francine Lévesque of the CSN.
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Stalled negotiations
Quebec's Nov. 6 offer was rejected after it was deemed "unacceptable" by the unions representing public sector workers.
The government said it would offer an injection of $1.7 billion more than the its initial offer, or an increase that could amount to 5.3 per cent over five years.
Coiteux had told a news conference Tuesday he believes there's room for negotiation with public sector workers, who have been holding demonstrations and strike days in response to stalled contract talks.
Details of government offer
Under the government's offer made earlier this month, all public sector workers would still see a basic three per cent salary hike over five years.
But many would see increases higher than that, once salary-scale inequities were adjusted, the treasury board president said.
Right now, two civil servants with the same level of education whose work is classified at the same rank could find themselves in entirely different salary grids because of the way past collective agreements were negotiated.
At the time, Coiteux said the proposed changes to the grid have long been sought by the unions and would improve the long-term prospects for younger public servants starting out in their careers.
"They will have a higher average salary over their whole career — and that will have a positive impact on their retirement, as well," he said.
Among other proposals in the government offer:
- A delay in the plan to raise retirement age from 60 to 62. This measure would be implemented over the next four years instead of two.
- The withdrawal of a proposal to calculate retirement pensions based on an employee's best eight years of service. The current practice of basing pensions on an employee's best five years of service would remain.