Quebec unions seek mediation with government

The common front representing Quebec's major public sector unions are calling on labour minister Sam Hamad to name mediators to oversee talks at certain bargaining tables as talks for a new collective agreement continued on Wednesday.

So far, the unions are only seeking mediation at the so called 'sectorial' bargaining tables which are addressing working conditions and other issues not dealing with salaries.

The union organizations had set April 20 as a deadline after which it would seek mediation.

"Despite progress at some tables, certain points remain difficult and we believe that the intervention of a third party will help us head towards a settlement," said Secrétariat intersyndical des services publics (SISP), spokesperson Dominique Verreault in a statement.

"The unions want to continue negotiating without any interruption, or slowdown," said Quebec Federation of Labour president Michel Arsenault. "We don't want to have to start again from the beginning - but continue negotiations recognizing the progress that has been made."

The common front represents 475,000 of the province's nearly 500,000 public sector workers.

The collective agreement between the workers and the government expired March 31.