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Thanks to our solidarity during the Front commun bargaining talks, our 2023-2028 collective agreement provides not only for pay increases totalling 17.4% – the likes of which had not been seen since 1979 – but also for the return of an essential tool: a clause that contains a mechanism to protect our purchasing power.

The clause says that salaries will automatically go up on March 31 in 2026, 2027 and 2028 if yearly inflation (from April 1 to March 31) is greater than the salary increase received the previous April 1. The situation will be verified for the first time this year on April 20 when Statistics Canada publishes its official data for the March consumer price index.

A key date: publication of the Québec CPI for March 2026

It is currently estimated that if inflation fails to go down between February and March 2026, that will be sufficient to activate the clause. More specifically, if the CPI for March is equal or superior to the IPC for February, the adjustment mechanism will come into play.

What the collective agreement says

For each of the three last years covered by the agreement, there will be an additional pay adjustment of up to 1% if inflation is greater than the increase already set out.

• March 31, 2026
  If inflation from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, is greater than 2.6%, an adjustment of up to 1% will apply.
• March 31, 2027
  If inflation from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, is greater than 2.5%, an adjustment of up to 1% will apply.
• March 31, 2028
  If inflation from April 1, 2027, to March 31, 2028, is greater than 3.5%, an adjustment of up to 1% will apply.

How is the adjustment calculated?

1. Calculation of the yearly average for inflation
   To avoid abrupt changes associated with any particular month, the calculation is based on the average of the 12 monthly CPI figures for Québec. The average for 2025‑2026 is compared with the average for 2024‑2025 (this is how Statistics Canada calculates yearly inflation). This method ensures a more stable measurement and prevents an isolated month from blocking the application of the clause.
2. Gap between the two years
   The difference between the two averages is then calculated as a percentage.
3. Activation of the mechanism
   The clause applies if inflation is greater than the pay increase of 2.6% that came into effect on April 1, 2025. The maximum adjustment is an additional 1%.
   No adjustment applies if the gap is less than 0.05%, because the impact would be negligible (less than $0.0125 for someone earning $25 per hour).
   This means that the mechanism will be activated only if inflation reaches at least 2.65%.
4. Adjustments and retroactivity
   Once the official data is published on April 20, 2026, the employer has 180 days – until October 17, 2026 – to pay the amounts required as adjustments.

Regardless of the moment when the adjustment appears on your pay stub, it will be retroactive to March 31, 2026.

The adjustment will apply independently of the 2.6% pay increase that will take effect on April 1, 2026. This means that if the protection clause is activated, the adjustment (which may reach up to 1%) will be added to your already increased salary.

The current situation

At the moment, the gap is very small: inflation is almost at the threshold of the rate that would activate the clause. The outcome is entirely dependent on the CPI for March 2026.

An uncertain global context, and especially the Iranian conflict and its impact on energy costs, could cause inflation to go up.

The importance of the adjustment clause is fully demonstrated: it plays a key role in protecting our purchasing power against economic fluctuations.

More information to come

We’ll let you know as soon as the figures are available and details have been discussed with the employer party if the protection clause is activated.