Tuesday morning, faced with a longstanding lack of will on the part of the employer, the union for sessional lecturers at UQTR (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières) broke off negotiations to renew its collective agreement and requested the assistance of a mediator-conciliator from the Québec Ministry of Labour.
Their previous contract expired on April 30, 2025. Bargaining talks have been going on for more than 19 months, since they began in March 2025. While the union tabled all its non-monetary demands several months ago, it is still waiting for a response from the employer on several issues. Management is sticking to its own demands, even though some of its demands would roll back working conditions by more than 20 years. The union feels UQTR management is attacking their own precarious employees, who offer more than 65% of courses at the institution.
“Talks have been at a standstill since June of 2026. After a three-month break over the summer season, a few meetings have taken place, but an influential member of the management bargaining team has been absent from almost every meeting, demonstrating the low importance that UQTR accords to its sessional lecturers. Our members deserve better than delays, silences and demands that would roll back their working conditions. They deserve respectful and serious bargaining, conducted with a real will on the employer’s part to reach an agreement,” said Lucie Lorrain, president of the sessional lecturers’ union at UQTR (SCCUQTR), CUPE 2661.
“UQTR management seems to have forgotten that without their lecturers, graduation for a large number of students would be in serious jeopardy. Without us, there would be no courses, no exams, no diplomas; it’s as simple as that,” said Lucie Lorrain, in closing.
SCCUQTR-CUPE 2661 represents around 1,100 members at the university, with 800 of them at work in any given school year. In addition to the main campus in Trois-Rivières, they offer courses at the campuses of Drummondville, Québec, L’Assomption, Longueuil, Joliette and Terrebonne. It is worth noting that 40% of members hold another job.
