FIQ rejection of an agreement in principle: what this means for the APTS
While the FIQ’s Provincial Council has just rejected an agreement in principle on sectoral matters (i.e., on working conditions pertaining to its specific job classes), it is nonetheless clear that the context for negotiations has now shifted.
Until now, the Legault government has shown very little willingness to consider union demands, and with the offers currently on the table, the APTS is certainly far from an agreement in principle. But the fact that the FIQ reached an agreement – even if it was rejected – shows that the government is now ready to agree to certain demands.
Will this new openness lead to concrete results for the APTS? It’s too early to say.
Our demands, which we reviewed over the summer to establish our key priorities, focus on issues of major importance for the APTS such as work overload, attracting and retaining personnel, and the health and safety of our members (to name just a few). Our objective hasn't changed: we want an agreement that will satisfy our 56,000 members. With this in mind, we're currently involved in a process of consulting local executives on the evolution of contract talks.
The APTS-FIQ alliance on intersectoral matters – pay, pension plan, parental rights and regional disparities – is still highly relevant, and as the FIQ stated in its press release, these are matters that we will continue to negotiate together.
Of course, we’ll keep you posted on developments.
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