The government's tawdry proposed increases
9% increase over 5 years
Year 1: 3 % as of April 1, 2023
Year 2: 1.5% as of April 1, 2024
Year 3: 1.5% as of April 1, 2025
Year 4: 1.5% as of April 1, 2026
Year 5: 1.5% as of April 1, 2027.
A $1000 lump sum payment for the period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
Despite skyrocketing inflation, the government’s wage offer contains no measures to protect purchasing power. Not only is the government's wage offer lower than what is being agreed to in the private sector, but it will actually make workers poorer since the government's own forecast puts the inflation rate well above its proposed pay increases. It is projecting an inflation rate of 6.8% in 2022, which means that its offer of 3% in the first year will not shield workers from cost-of-living increases. This is grossly inadequate.
As for the proposed $1000 lump sum payment, it’s a real insult to women and men who are wearing themselves out to maintain public services, sometimes at the expense of their own health. We’re talking about a one-time payment that won’t even be factored into the calculation of retirement income or vacation time.
Let’s not forget that, in terms of overall compensation, public service workers trail other Québec workers by 3.9%. And when we look at wages alone, that gap widens to 11.9%.
Retirement and pensions in the cross-hairs
The government is also taking aim at retirement with a plan to compel people who have worked for 35 years to wait until the age of 57 to retire. This is certainly not what we understand as a bid for retention – “detention” is more like it! But the Front commun does welcome the government’s response to union demands for keeping experienced employees in the public system on a voluntary basis.
Another target is the Government and Public Employee Retirement Plan (RREGOP), one of the few remaining employee benefits that is at least somewhat successful in retaining people who have worked in the public system for many years. The government is proposing to reduce the RREGOP pension, on the pretext that Québec Pension Plan (QPP) benefits have recently increased. In other words, what the government is giving with one hand, it’s taking away with the other. To add insult to injury, the government is claiming the QPP enhancement will induce people to retire earlier, and that’s why they need to reduce the RREGOP pension!
Not a word on regional disparities, group insurance, CEGEPs, and whistleblowers
The Front commun demands include a set of measures to help solve the crippling labour shortage problem in a number of regions. The government has chosen to completely ignore this issue: it’s not even mentioned in its so-called offers (nor is the issue of group insurance). Also worthy of note is the fact that Pascale Déry, the minister for higher education, was a no-show at the government’s press conference attended by her colleagues, the ministers for education and for health and social services. And CEGEPs are not mentioned anywhere in the government proposal. What does this mean? Lastly, the government has remained silent on measures regarding whistleblowers, despite the pressing need to give them better protection. The government proposal doesn’t even acknowledge the issue.
