Employer Associations
In 1993, the labour relations system was changed. Previously, a single decree applied to all sectors, but in 1993 the construction industry was divided into four sectors for the purpose of negotiating collective agreements. One collective agreement is negotiated in each sector with the designated employer association.
Each sector-based employer association has a relative weight when it comes to ratification of the agreement regarding provisions common to all four agreements. The Association des entrepreneurs en construction du Québec (AECQ) is the negotiating party for the common clauses.
The Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) must observe the degree of representativeness of each sector-based employers’ association for the purpose of concluding an agreement on the common clauses.
The representativeness of the employers’ associations is, as of September 1, 2020, as follows:
| Sector | Designated employers’ association | Representativeness for the purpose of sanctioning common clauses |
| Industrial | Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ) | 6,376% |
| Institutional and Commercial | Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ) | 55,306% |
| Civil Engineering and Roads | Association des constructeurs de routes et grands travaux du Québec (ACRGTQ) | 20,217% |
| Residential | Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec (APCHQ) | 18,101% |
| Clauses common to all four sectors | Association des entrepreneurs en construction du Québec (AECQ) |