Slightly higher-than-expected pay raise for Quebec public sector workers

Four leaders of the joint union front representing the public and parapublic sectors: Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ; Robert Comeau, president of the APTS; François Enault, vice president of the CSN; and Magali Picard, president of the FTQ. Photo taken on February 23, 2024, in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Public sector employees will receive a slight pay raise, in addition to the agreed-upon increases, thanks to a clause negotiated by the Common Front in 2023.

The employees will therefore receive an additional 0.11 per cent increase, on top of the raises already agreed upon by the parties, the Treasury Board and the Common Front confirmed. The Common Front consisted of the CSN, the CSQ, the FTQ, and the APTS.

The five-year agreement, concluded in December 2023 by the Common Front, includes what is known in the industry as a “CPI clause,” a wage protection clause linked to the Consumer Price Index.

If the CPI were to exceed a certain threshold, a mechanism would be triggered, resulting in a higher-than-expected increase—an adjustment—up to a maximum of an additional 1 per cent. This actual percentage was revealed on Monday, when Statistics Canada released its inflation data.

The calculation specified in the Common Front agreement is complex, but its application results in this additional 0.11 per cent increase.

The wage increases agreed upon in the December 2023 agreement are 6 per cent on April 1, 2023, 2.8 per cent on April 1, 2024, 2.6 per cent on April 1, 2025, 2.5 per cent on April 1, 2026, and 3.5 per cent on April 1, 2027. It is the last three years that include this inflation protection clause up to a maximum of 1 per cent.

In an interview, however, CSN Vice-President François Enault pointed out that this will actually amount to a modest sum.

“Our goal is to ensure that our members, at the end of the fiscal year, haven’t seen their purchasing power decline. But it’s clear we’re talking about three cents an hour here (on a salary of about $50,000). But that’s what was negotiated to ensure we don’t start another round of negotiations by saying, ‘Well, the cost of living has been very high and we’re not able to… we’ve lost some purchasing power,’” said Enault.

It will take some time before government employees receive this additional amount, as adjustments need to be made.

“The employer has a few months to pay the retroactive amount, but we’ve at least agreed on the figure. There won’t be any squabbling over the number. Now, we hope the government will be able to pay quickly,” Enault said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 21, 2026.

Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press