Many building maintenance employees are asking about an upcoming increase in the hourly wage. The last raise was on October 30, 2017 when the current decree came into effect. The Parity Committee for Building Maintenance Services is currently working to renew the decree.

For a new decree to be adopted, it must first be agreed upon by the union and the employers, which occurred in December 2017 when their collective agreement was renewed. The Parity Committee then submits a request to the Government of Quebec so that the clauses of the agreement that apply to the decree are included. Those clauses and the wage increases will then be applied to the new decree for building maintenance services once adopted by the government. The request was submitted to the government in early 2018. The Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity must now evaluate the working conditions outlined in the agreement before making a final decision, which can take several months.

That is where things stand at present. The contracting parties (employers, union and parity committee) have met their obligations within the prescribed time frame so as to have the decree renewed. The building maintenance services industry is now waiting for the government to follow through. As long as the decree is not approved by the government, all clauses in the current decree remain applicable. Scheduled wage increases will apply only when the new decree comes into effect.