Decree-Based Collective Agreements: Ensuring Competitiveness Through Fairness
In an open letter published in La Presse, our Executive Director, Stéphanie Corriveau, sets the record straight on several key aspects of the debate surrounding decree-based collective agreements.
Often misunderstood, these mechanisms do not hinder competitiveness. Rather, they help ensure fair minimum working conditions and support healthy competition among businesses.
In the context of Bill 27, the role of decree-based collective agreements has been subject to various interpretations. Stéphanie Corriveau’s open letter seeks to clarify their actual contribution to Québec’s economy and to the sectors they regulate.
Decrees establish minimum working conditions applicable to all businesses within a given sector. This framework helps prevent competition based on lowering wages or benefits, and instead promotes a level playing field focused on service quality and compliance.
In sectors such as private security, these mechanisms play a critical role. They provide workers with concrete protections — particularly in terms of compensation and working conditions — while also protecting businesses that meet their legal obligations.
The letter also highlights an important point: decrees and the parity committees that enforce them do not represent a cost to the government, as they are funded by the industry stakeholders themselves.
In short, while modernization of the legislative framework is essential, it must preserve the foundations of a model that supports worker protection, market integrity, and public safety.