Quebec residential construction strike comes to an end

A construction worker attaches a basket on a crane as they work on the rooftop of a residential apartment building in Levis, Que. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Residential construction workers were on strike. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

The unions representing Quebec’s residential construction workers have reached a tentative agreement with the Association des professionnels de la construction et de l’habitation du Québec (APCHQ), ending the strike.

Workers had been on strike since May 28.

The APCHQ said in a news release that all pressure tactics will stop at midnight.

The five unions under the Alliance syndicale de la construction and the APCHQ will ask their members to vote on the agreement in the next two weeks. If it is rejected, the strike could resume.

The agreement includes an eight per cent salary increase from the moment it is signed and arbitration for the following three years.

It also includes increased travel expenses, a higher allowance for safety equipment, the creation of a committee to improve staff attraction and retention, and relaxed rules for employees with fewer than 1,500 hours under their belt.

“The large mobilization, the commitment of the members and the openness of the negotiating committee made it possible to finally reach a negotiated agreement,” said Alexandre Ricard, spokesperson for the union alliance.

“When it comes to labour disputes, it’s never something you want. We always want to settle things quickly ... now it’s up to the members,” he told CTV News.

Of Quebec’s four construction sectors (civil engineering, industrial, residential, and commercial) the residential sector was the only one that had not managed to renew its collective agreement, which expired April 30.

The APCHQ said it took into consideration the sector’s specific realities and households’ ability to pay.

“With the tentative agreement, a degree of predictability will be in place, allowing employers and workers alike to contribute to the construction of thousands of homes that Quebec needs,” it said in a news release.

The Alliance had filed a complaint against with the Administrative Labour Tribunal accusing the APCHQ of bad faith bargaining, unfair practices and obstructing the exercise of the right to strike.

The APCHQ also filed a complaint against the union for bad faith bargaining and obstruction of the process.

Once an agreement is signed, the complaints will be withdrawn.