A long-awaited agreement has finally been reached between the Ministry of Finance and three major unions on pay equity for thousands of clerical and administrative workers in health and social services in Quebec.
The unions estimate the total number of affected employees to be around 30,000. These workers, 90% of whom are women, could receive thousands of dollars thanks to a deal just reached to resolve a series of equal pay complaints.
The agreement covers office workers in the health and social services network: for example, administrative staff, medical secretaries and executive assistants.
The three unions that have just reached an agreement with the Treasury are the Health and Social Services Federation, which is affiliated with it CSNthe Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Quebec Union of Service Employees (SQEES), the latter two being affiliated to it FTQ.
The affected union bodies are currently examining the details of the agreement. The instance of CUPE endorsed it. It will now be presented to employees.
The amounts payable vary depending on the employee's seniority, her salary level and her status: full-time or part-time.
According to the process, job titles are evaluated by weighing several factors. If necessary, salary adjustments will then be made.
We then review compliance with pay equity every five years, as job requirements may change over time.
The issue of equal pay for these office and administrative workers has been dragging on for several years. Some complaints dated back to 2010 and others to 2015. The unions tried to reach a satisfactory agreement with the tax office to resolve the entire matter.
A petition was launched last spring to speed up processing of the file. That's what the unions argued The duties and responsibilities associated with the job titles affected by these complaints have evolved significantly in recent years
and that the Treasury Board must therefore take this into account when determining remuneration.
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