MONTREAL, May 12, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Meeting virtually in a special assembly last night, the forty or so employees of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in Quebec voted massively in favour of a mandate giving them the right to use pressure tactics that could go as far as a strike.

These union members have been without a contract since May 2019.

Negotiations are respectful, but they are dragging on. The main unresolved issues are pay equity between employees in Quebec and those elsewhere in Canada, as well as internal equity among recruiters who have less favourable working conditions.

"There are still several clauses to be negotiated, but as a union of administrative employees, recruiters, and union representatives, we certainly cannot accept this disparity in treatment within our organization," said Jovanka Ivic, president of CUPE Local 5481.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada is one of the largest unions in Canada. It represents more than 200,000 workers in many fields across the country and around the world. In addition to its headquarters in Ottawa, the PSAC has 23 regional offices. 

With close to 122,000 members in Quebec, CUPE represents some 2,745 members in the mixed sector across Quebec (employees of insurance companies and unions, social and community groups, and value shipment services). CUPE is also active in the following sectors: social services, communications, education, universities, energy, municipalities, Quebec government corporations and public agencies, and air, land, and sea transportation. CUPE is the largest FTQ affiliate.

SOURCE Canadian Union of Public Employees (FTQ)