City, blue-collar workers reach a deal

The potential strike hanging over the head of Gatineau is no more. On March 9, the mayor announced a tentative agreement between the city and its blue-collar employees.

“The agreement covers collective bargaining and the pension plan. It respects our finances,” said Mayor Pedneaud-Jobin.

The mayor said council will ratify the deal once the workers confirm the agreement their executive committee reached with the city. Details  will be made public once the contract is confirmed by both sides.

The agreement took months of negotiations, with pensions a major point of discussion.

Denis Savard, president of the blue-collar group affiliated with the CSN and representing 735 members, agreed with the mayor that the deal is good for both sides.  Both stressed the friendly and professional atmosphere of the negotiations.

Blue-collar workers did show up to council meetings on several occasions in large numbers but, unlike municipal employees in Montréal, they remained orderly.

This is the third collective agreement the city has renewed in less than a year. Last June, the city agreed with employees from the aquatic sector and with casual employees. Negotiations continue with white-collar workers, the police, firefighters, and the professionals’ association.

The city’s salary costs are Gatineau’s biggest expense. In 2015, they represented 47% of all expenses.