Montreal police officers have voted in favour of a new contract that puts an end to a long-running dispute over pension reforms.
The city’s police union, the Montreal Police Brotherhood, says 95.3 per cent of officers who voted approved the new agreement, which is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2015, and extends until Dec. 31, 2021. During that period, pension contributions will increase gradually so that, by the end of 2021, police and government contributions will be equal, according to the CBC.
The CBC reported that employee contributions to the police pension plan will increase to 13.75 per cent from seven per cent by Jan 1. 2020. The city’s contribution will decrease to the same level from the current 21 per cent.
Read: Quebec pension reforms face major legal uncertainty despite deal with firefighters
The dispute began after the government introduced controversial legislation requiring municipal workers to contribute equally to their pension funds with employers, Benefits Canada reported in June. That month, Montreal firefighters reached an agreement with the city.
The agreement is positive for both parties, said Yves Francoeur, president of the Montreal Police Brotherhood, in a news release.
Read: Quebec law scrapping indexation unconstitutional, unions allege