Unionized employees at MRC Pontiac to strike next Wednesday

Unionized employees at MRC Pontiac to strike next Wednesday

Members of the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ) at MRC Pontiac have announced that they will strike next Wednesday (November 23). A strike notice was sent to the Ministry of Labour on Friday. This is the first strike day that’s been announced during the ongoing negotiations with MRC management over the employees’ collective agreement, which expired at the end of 2021.

On October 27, the unionized employees voted overwhelmingly in favour of pressure tactics, including up to 10 strike days.

“What the employer is offering us is completely disconnected from the reality of the labor market, the rise in inflation and the labor shortage,” the SFPQ’s regional Rresident Michel Girard wrote in a press release (translated).” After almost a year of negotiations, this first day of strike will be an opportunity for the employer to realize that the patience of our members has reached its limits. The workers of the MRC Pontiac are simply demanding fair working conditions. Our members are ready to go all the way to get a decent salary.”

The SFPQ is asking for salary increases of at least 14.5% over five years.