Governance of Supplementary Pension Plans, Labour Relations and Role Conflicts: A Quebec Study

This research aims to study the presence of role conflict in pension committees in Quebec. It relates the governance of pension plans to the presence of role conflict between collective representation and fiduciary responsibility from the point of view of pension committee members. We exploit a particular feature of Quebec’s pension funds legislation, namely the obligation to create a pension committee, which usually includes members representing the employer, trade unions, workers, retirees and independent members. Using a mixed methodology with a questionnaire and interviews, it was possible to analyse the sources and nature of these conflicts.

Contrary to our expectations, our study does not reveal systematic conflicts caused by the coexistence of a system of labour relations and the fiduciary responsibility of supplementary pension plans. Tensions related to labour relations are minimal. We have, however, identified a number of issues, notably relating to plan funding and plan sustainability, which leads to some role confusion.

That said, these aspects are not perceived as sources of tension, but are rather issues to be discussed. The quality of pension plans governance depends on the resources invested by labour relations collective actors in assisting members of pension committees. Our research on role conflict in the governance of pension plans in Quebec shows that the management of these conflicts depends to a large extent not only on the quality of the legislation governing the administration of supplemental pension plans, but also on the resources invested in training for retirement committee members.

Keywords : Quebec, pension plans governance, labour relations, fiduciary responsibility, role conflict.