At a general membership meeting, City of Gatineau inside workers, represented by CUPE 5400, voted 93% in favour of the tentative agreement reached on September 21. They had previously voted in favour of a mandate that included pressure tactics up to and including a strike.
“We resorted to pressure tactics and were heard. We’re thrilled to announce a wage increase totalling 18% over five years and a significant improvement to our collective agreement,” explained CUPE 5400 President Mike Leclair.
Other gains include a specific clause on telework, enhancement of all premiums, a new retention premium for 911 workers, an increase in the employer`s contribution to group insurance and introduction of a compressed work week, meaning that workers can now compress the hours they work to have one less workday per week.
“Along with the employer, we managed to come up with solutions to retain workers. We now have a better contract that will ensure services to our citizens,” added Leclair.
The new collective agreement ensures labour peace from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2027.