Guidance on employee work arrangements in the event of a strike by public sector unions in the province of Quebec

Date: November 3, 2023

To: Heads of Human Resources and Directors / Chiefs of Labour Relations and Compensation

This information notice provides organizations in the core public administration with guidance on employee work arrangements in the event of a strike by public sector unions in Quebec representing about 420,000 health, social services and education workers.

In the event of a strike, delegated managers must:

• be flexible when evaluating employees’ circumstances on a case‑by‑case basis, and at the same time ensure that continued service delivery and operational requirements are met.
• inform employees that if they can’t work because their child’s school or daycare is closed, or because the care facility of a dependant in their care is closed, they must:
  • try to make other care arrangements or take other measures so that they can work.
  • consider teleworking temporarily, amending their telework agreement temporarily, or changing their work schedule temporarily.
  • consider requesting leave in accordance with their collective agreement or their terms and conditions of employment, if they are unable to make other arrangements.

Delegated managers will assess all requests for leave and changes to work arrangements in accordance with the employee’s applicable collective agreement or terms and conditions of employment.

Employees can’t use “Leave with pay for family-related responsibilities (unforeseeable school or daycare closure)” in this situation because it is a known, and therefore foreseeable, situation.

Employees also can’t use “Leave with or without pay for other reasons” (leave code 699) in this situation.

Any questions regarding the above must be directed to your organization’s designated Corporate Labour Relations or Corporate Compensation representatives.

Original signed by

Wendy Braithwaite
Director, Compensation Policy, Interpretations, and Pay Administration
Employee Relations and Total Compensation
Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer