The labour organizations that made up the Common Front appeared before a parliamentary committee in Québec City on October 4 to discuss Bill 23, an Act to amend various pension plans in the public sector.
At the outset, FTQ President Michel Arsenault, CSQ President and SISP spokesperson Réjean Parent, and CSN President Louis Roy, speaking for their organizations, expressed surprise at finding themselves before a parliamentary committee, since the pension issue had been resolved to the satisfaction of both government and unions during the last public-sector negotiations.
The labour organizations recalled that the pension file is part of the overall compensation package and that the government would be ill-advised to reopen it, or others stemming from the agreement with public and parapublic sector employees during the last round of negotiations.
The labour representatives went on to say that the Bill is consistent with the results of the negotiations, and all are now awaiting its adoption. During the negotiations, the objective of the Common Front was to ensure the financial security of the plan and protect contributors from excessive contribution increases. This objective was ultimately met, added the SISP, CSN and FTQ spokespersons.