Fasken has represented the Attorney General of Québec before the Superior Court in a dispute over the interpretation of the Bill 24. This law provides a framework for the negotiation of collective agreements and settlement of disputes in the municipal sector. It establishes two new and separate collective bargaining systems, one for police officers and firefighters and the other for other municipal employees. This law sets out important guiding principles, including the balance between employee expectations and the imperatives of effective and efficient management of public financial resources, recognizing municipalities as governments of proximity by rebalancing power in the negotiation of their employees’ collective agreements.
Unions claimed that this new bargaining regime prevented them from bargaining as equal with their employers and that it interfered with their freedom of association. Yet Fasken proved that the new bill was not detrimental to the unions and that the essence of this law respected the Charters.
This was a very important issue because there are more than 100,000 municipal employees in Québec and the total cost of their compensation is $7.8 billion.
A Fasken team composed of Sébastien Gobeil, Louis Bernier and Christelle Leblanc represented the Attorney General of Québec in connection with this case.
Jurisdiction
- Québec
