Workers strike
in 32 seniors'
residences
in Quebec
MONTREAL — Nearly 3,000
workers in 32 private residences
in Quebec went on an unlimited
strike on June 21. Their main
demand was a minimum wage
of $15 an hour, according to
the Syndicat québécois des em-
ployées et employés de service
(FTQ).
"Employers can't possibly be
surprised at our salary demands.
They've known about them for
more than a year now. But many
of them are still making ridicu-
lous offers. Here at Résidence les
Floralies de LaSalle, beneficiary
attendants earn $12.55 at hiring
and $13.28 at the top of the salary
scale after four years. What we're
being offered is $13.29 at hiring
and $14.05 at the top of the scale
in the third year of the collective
agreement. Other employers
are offering a zero per cent wage
increase when employees are
already earning little more than
the minimum wage," said Rich-
ard Belhumeur, president of the
Syndicat, local 298 (SQEES).
The SQEES-FTQ represents
25 000 members throughout
Quebec, most of them in the
health and social services sector.
It is affiliated with the Fédération
des tra-
vail-
leurs et travailleuses du Qué-
bec, the largest union central in
Quebec, with more than 600 000
members.
Tax workers
reject tentative
settlement
with CRA
OTTAWA — Members of the
Public Service Alliance of Can-
ada/Union of Taxation Employ-
ees (PSAC/UTE) who work at
the Canada Revenue Agency
have rejected a settlement their
union reached with the Canada
Revenue Agency (CRA) in April.
This placed the workers in a
legal strike position.
"After more than four years of
frustration, we want to negoti-
ate a fair agreement," said Bob
Campbell, national president of
the UTE. "We urge the CRA to
join us at the table and negotiate
a contract that is fair to our hard-
working members."
The UTE bargaining team
said it wants a contract that ad-
dresses the compensation is-
sues raised in bargaining and to
achieve improvements that are
in line with what was negotiated
for other federal employees.
"We will be prepared to take
strike action if necessary," said
Robyn Benson, national presi-
dent of PSAC. "It is unacceptable
that we have had to wait more
than four years and have yet to
achieve a fair contract with the
CRA. Under the law, our strike
mandate is valid for 60 days. We
expect to return to the bargain-
ing table to conclude a fair col-
lective agreement."
LABOUR BRIEFS
2
Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2016
FORMERLY CLV REPORTS
Serving labour relations professionals
since 1956
www.labour-reporter.com
Published weekly by omson Reuters
Canada Ltd.
Subscription rate: $595 per year
Customer Service
Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto)
(800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto)
Fax: (416) 298-5106
Email: carswell.customerrelations@
thomsonreuters.com
Website: www.carswell.com
Director, Carswell Media
Karen Lorimer
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Todd Humber
Editor/Supervisor
Sarah Dobson | (416) 649-7896
sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com
Contributing Editors
Mallory Hendry
Jeff rey R. Smith
Marketing Co-ordinator
Keith Fulford | (416) 649-9585
keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com
© 2016 Carswell, a division of omson
Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the
written permission of the publisher.
e publisher is not engaged in rendering
legal, accounting or other professional
advice. If legal or other expert assistance is
required, the services of a competent
professional should be sought. e analysis
contained herein represents the opinion of
the authors and should in no way be
construed as being either offi cial or
unoffi cial policy of any governmental body.
ISSN 0045-5113
Publications Registration 2089
Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the
Canadian HR Reporter group of
publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com
for more information.
Labour Reporter
Canadian
www.labourreporter.com
Photo:
Jacky
Naegelen
(Reuters)
LABOUR LENS
The Place de la Bastille square in Paris fi lls with French labour union employees on June 23 attending a
demonstration against plans to reform French labour laws.
