Union demands for higher wages leading to longer negotiations in collective bargaining

Collective agreements are taking longer to negotiate. For agreements reached in 2024, negotiations took more than 13 months on average. The year before, negotiations averaged just seven months. “Canada is still dealing with the lingering effects of the pandemic, including a return to normal inflation,” Professor John-Paul Ferguson tells The Globe and Mail. “That has been complicating a lot of negotiations because unions are demanding higher wage increases.”