Conciliator’s proposal accepted by Quebec ferry service union

A ferry in Quebec. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Jacques Boissinot)

Some 200 employees of the Quebec-Lévis and Matane-Baie-Comeau-Godbout ferries, as well as the Quebec City ship repair workshop, have approved a conciliator’s recommendation to renew their collective agreement.

The collective agreement for members of the Fédération des employés des services publics, affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), expired on April 1, 2023.

The union reports that the new agreement will include wage increases of 17.4 per cent over five years, similar to other public and parapublic sector employees.

It adds that it has obtained an additional two per cent increase for the sixth year of the new collective agreement.

According to the union, the new agreement also includes improvements to pay scales, bonuses, holidays and group insurance.

The workers, comprising non-licenced sailors, mooring operators and dock personnel, have held several strikes in recent months, including walking off the job during the last two editions of the Quebec City Summer Festival.

Non-licenced employees affiliated with the Steelworkers Union who work on other hubs renewed their own collective agreement last summer.

– This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 11, 2025.