Government engineers have accepted by 90.37% the agreement in principle concluded between the Professional Association of Government Engineers of Quebec (APIGQ) and the Secretariat of the Treasury Board on July 19.

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A total of 1,610 members took part in the vote, which began July 21 and ended August 2 at 4 p.m., a statement said on Wednesday.

For APIGQ, the central element of this agreement is based on the creation of a new class of engineer (senior grade) which translates into a salary increase. The working week is also increased to 37.5 hours and includes greater flexibility in schedules.

The agreement also “specifies the roles and responsibilities of engineers in the government” and allows the formation of two joint committees.

"These new measures will make it possible to strengthen the Government of Quebec's power to retain experienced engineers, whose exodus to the ''other public'' sector and to consulting engineering firms has been detrimental for years to the internal expertise in engineering”, estimates the APIGQ.

“We are happy to move in the right direction thanks to the acceptance of the agreement in principle, but it is essential to continue working in order to agree on the texts of the collective agreement. Strengthening engineering expertise within the Government of Quebec remains a priority for APIGQ and the next few years will be key to continuing to attract and retain our engineers,” said Marc-André Martin, President of APIGQ.

Remember that some 1,800 state engineers went on an indefinite strike on April 22 to demand a catch-up salary.