Another union at Montreal’s transit network announced a one-day strike this month, but this one isn’t expected to disrupt service.
It’s now the third union to have announced strike action this month at the transit authority. On Friday, the union representing its administrative support staff announced its roughly 1,300 members will also strike on Nov. 19.
“The negotiations with the employer have been going on for 17 months,” said union president Stéphane Lamont. “We’ve had more than 42 meetings, and negotiations aren’t progressing, so we want to apply a little pressure, but not on the public.”
A strike is already underway at the transit authority, with buses and metros only available during rush hours and late evenings. Unless a deal is reached, the one involving the network’s 2,400 or so maintenance workers could last until the end of November.
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Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet has said he’s not opposed to the possibility of speeding up the implementation of a strike-busting law to force an end to the dispute. It is currently expected to come into force on Nov. 30.
Like maintenance workers, Lamont said administrative staff at the transit network are also striking over the subcontracting of work he says should be going to his members, mentioning professional IT services as one example.
“We also have the same concerns that other unions in negotiations have,” he said.
According to estimates compiled by his union, as of this May the network was employing about 1,800 subcontractors.
“Subcontracting is more expensive than doing it in-house,” Lamont added, saying those workers also tend to be less qualified.
He said job security, previously won benefits and pay are also sticking points at the negotiation table.
In a short statement, the transit authority confirmed it received notice of the strike, adding mediation is now underway with the union. It declined to respond to questions about issues like subcontracting and job security, saying it preferred not to negotiate in public.
Roughly 4,500 bus drivers and metro operators are also expected to strike on the weekend of Nov. 15 and 16. The last time they walked off the job on Saturday, Nov. 1, when no buses or metros ran for the entire day.
The union has already shared it hopes to freeze service similarly later this month, but Quebec’s labour tribunal would have to approve the union’s proposal for it to go ahead.
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