The Municipality of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François has signed a collective agreement renewal protocol with its blue- and white-collar employees.
At a meeting last January 11, more than 75% of the union members ratified the tentative agreement their union reached with the municipality.
Their previous agreement expired last December 31, 2022, and the new five-year contract will run from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2027. Negotiations took place in a respectful environment where both parties listened to each other.
“After several bargaining sessions, we can say that it is mission accomplished. We were able to negotiate clauses that will improve our members’ wages and working conditions. This will enable us to retain our expertise and continue providing quality service to the public,” said Bruno Lavoie, President of CUPE 5338.
“At a time when the municipality is experiencing major economic growth with the arrival of Club Med and several real estate projects, in particular, and especially against the backdrop of labour shortages, it was important for both parties to negotiate working conditions conducive to retaining current staff and attracting new employees. This is what we managed to do,” said CUPE union representative Caroline Bédard.
This view is shared by mayor Jean-Guy Bouchard. “In these times of inflation, labour shortages and recruiting difficulties, the Municipality of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François had to bring employee wages up to par to attract new talent and to retain current employees. Both parties are satisfied with the outcome. The new working conditions were negotiated within the existing budgetary framework, which means no tax increases for citizens in the municipality.”