Agreement in principle ratified between Hydro-Québec and union of 5,500 members
Posted January 15, 2026 7:21 am.
Last Updated January 15, 2026 7:28 am.
The approximately 5,500 employees who are members of the Hydro-Québec Union of Specialists and Professionals (SSPHQ) voted Wednesday evening, with 87 per cent in favour of the tentative agreement reached on Dec. 19. The collective agreement had expired in December 2024.
The second largest union at the state-owned company announced it via press release, mentioning a minimum compound wage increase of 18.4 per cent for the years 2024-2029.
“This negotiation represented a paradigm shift for us,” stated Gilles Cazade, president of SSPHQ-CUPE 4250, in the press release. “In a difficult political context and with turnover at the head of the Crown corporation, we innovated in our pressure tactics, reframed labour relations and took major steps in mobilization.”
The new collective agreement provides for the introduction of new promotion lines for specialists, as well as a clause providing flexibility for the choice of the majority of days to work remotely.
This local branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, also indicates that a 12-month pilot project will be launched to “expand the use of satellite offices and maximize the use of Hydro-Québec premises.”
“We also obtained provisions that will allow us to better regulate subcontracting and protect Hydro-Québec’s internal expertise,” adds Cazade. “All of this prepares us well for the upcoming negotiations.”
The dispute concerned the use of subcontracting. The union wanted to keep the expertise in-house and protect the jobs of its members, while Hydro-Québec said it needed flexibility to adapt to changing situations.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
