In a secret ballot held at a general meeting on May 26, 72% of the unionized employees at SSQ Life in Montreal and Quebec voted in favour of a strike mandate, with the prerogative of entering an unlimited general strike at an appropriate time.
The collective agreement for some 600 employees of SSQ Life expired on December 31, 2014 and up until now the negotiations have yet to result in a satisfactory agreement.
Pension and group insurance plans
According to the Fédération du commerce, the employer's demands for major cutbacks to the company’s pension and group insurance plans that are at the heart of the dispute. The union is also disappointed that there has not been a meeting since December 2015, even though an arbitrator was appointed in October 2015.
In a statement, the union says it intends to put all of its energy into concluding a satisfactory agreement in the coming days. The union bargaining committee said it is "ready to negotiate day and night if necessary."
In March 2015, the renewal of the collective agreement for 327 unionized members of the SSQ General Insurance Company resulted in a labor dispute which lasted over a month.
