Tribunal rules SARTEC, union of Quebec film producers must negotiate

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

An association of Quebec film producers must negotiate its collective agreement with the Société des auteur.e.trice.s de radio, télévision et cinéma (SARTEC), despite previously refusing to do so.

The Administrative Labour Trinbual ruled that the union of Quebec film producers breached its legal obligation by refusing to negotiate after receiving such a notice from SARTEC in 2024.

The Tribunal has now ordered the Union des producteurs du cinéma québécois to “commence negotiations without delay” with SARTEC and to conduct them diligently and in good faith.

SARTEC had filed a complaint of bad-faith bargaining against the association in April 2025.

For its part, the association argued that it was not required to negotiate the agreement as it was not subject to the Act respecting the status of artists.

It also stated that some of its members were already members of the Association québécoise pour la production médiatique (AQPM) and, as such, they were already bound by the collective agreements negotiated between that group and SARTEC.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 26, 2026.