1Is April will soon be a day of celebration for loyal civil servants. On this date, the Legault government will now pay a bonus of up to $800 to state employees who have worked in the same department or organization for several years.
Quebec will reward the stability of its workers. The agreement on working conditions accepted on Tuesday by the 27,000 members of Quebec’s public and parapublic service union (SFPQ) includes a “job loyalty” bonus for workers who don’t spend their time turning chairs.
“It’s a thank you bonus that the government gives people every April 1 to say: thank you very much for being with us. Because we know that after five years in the same position, a person is much more productive than after six months,” explains Christian Daigle, president of the center.
Starting next spring, employees who have earned seniority for three consecutive years in the same department or organization and who have provided “satisfactory performance” will receive a one-time lump sum of $300.
And the bonus more than doubles when the civil servant has worked in the same place for five years or more. The most experienced loyalists will collect $800 on April 1 each year.
The siren song of the private sector
By this measure, the employer obviously wants to better retain its employees and avoid the constant movement of civil servants between different ministries and organizations.
This is also a benefit for the workers. “People at home wanted encouragement and said: I’ve been here for 15 years, 20 years, maybe I deserve a little thanks,” insists Christian Daigle. This is [important] To retain staff so people don’t leave,” he said, especially when pay terms in the private sector are attractive.
Leave as a bonus
About 35,000 government professionals are entitled to the same benefit. But in the case of members of the Union of Government Professionals of Quebec (SPGQ), the “loyalty measure” takes another form.
After three years of seniority in the same ministry, these state employees will be able to avail an additional flexible day off. From April 1, civil servants who have worked continuously for at least five years at the same place will have to deposit three more days in their leave bank.
Note that civil servants in ministries and agencies received the same “on-par basis” pay increase as Union Common Front employees, i.e. 17.4% over five years.
“Also with a catch-up clause,” specifies the president of the SFPQ. If the cost of living has increased more than our income in the last three years, we can get 1% more per year. It is a clause similar to that of the Common Front.
Employment Loyalty Bonus for Civil Servants
- By April 1, 2025
- An employee who, as of April 1, has earned 3 consecutive years of seniority in the same department or agency, during which period the employee has provided satisfactory performance, is entitled to a one-time lump sum of $300.
- An employee who, as of April 1, has earned 5 continuous years of seniority in the same department or agency, a period during which the employee has provided satisfactory performance, is entitled to a one-time lump sum of $800.
Source: Collective Agreement for Civil Servants Affiliated to the SFPQ 2023-2028