At a general assembly, 70 per cent of civilian employees at the Roussillon Regional Police voted in favour of the tentative agreement reached by their negotiating committee. The new five-year agreement expires on December 31, 2013.
Among the achievements, CUPE members will receive a three per cent annual pay increase, which translates to two per cent on January 1 and another one per cent on July 1, for the first two years of the agreement. What’s more, with the exception of dispatchers (also known as telecommunications operators), employees will benefit from a new schedule that allows them to work 16 and a half days out of 20, making it much easier to strike a balance between work and family.
Speaking of victories, workers will gain access to a new deferred salary leave program. In addition, posting procedures have been modified to allow for greater job mobility. Lastly, in an effort to ensure everyone can take time off and to make it easier to find replacements, a wait period may be introduced for vacation requests during busier periods.
The 30 or so civilian employees at the Roussillon Regional Police are responsible for 9-1-1 calls, dispatching, reception, and administration. The workers have been without a labour contract since December 31, 2008.