Employees assigned to the loan counter and to the technical service of the Rouyn-Noranda library are still without a contract in spite of the fact both locals (CUPE 3217 and CUPE 4508) negotiated and even reached a tentative agreement with the administrative committee.
“Both locals even approved the agreement at a general meeting. However, the administrative council has not managed to have these agreements approved by the Rouyn-Noranda municipal council. This agreement, however, is fair and necessary! Both collective agreements expired in December 31, 2018,” explained CUPE union representative Marjolaine Boutin.
The parties agreed to make up a serious financial shortfall affecting employees, who were receiving increases less than the CPI from 2013 to 2018. Wage parity also had to be established with similar job categories in other comparable cities such as Val-d’Or or Amos.
“For example, in 2018, our members working at the loan counter who had reached the maximum of their salary scale were trailing their counterparts in the same job category in Val d’Or by 56% and Amos by 35%. Our employees in the technical service are lagging 20% and 19% behind their peers in Amos and Val d’Or respectively,” said the union representative.
The union deplores how the Town of Rouyn-Noranda has handled its dealings with CUPE members, who provide an important public service to the citizens of Rouyn-Noranda.