MONTREAL -- There's been no agreement but nor will there be a strike on Tuesday as talks continue between a major construction union collective and four employer's associations.

On Monday, after a round of intensive discussions, the parties agreed to continue negotiations the following day.

At stake are four collective agreements whose terms would be from 2021 to 2025 and would affect 190,000 workers belonging to the five unions grouped together under the Alliance Syndicale.

A general indefinite strike could be announced with 12 hours notice as 93 per cent of alliance members have voted in favour of a strike mandate, the previous collective agreements expired on April 30 and mediation has not been renewed.

The core issue does not appear to be salaries and parties have said progress has been made in regards to pension plans and group insurance. Now, the dispute revolves around the use of mobile apps used to record working hours on workers' personal phones.

FTQ-Construction had previously won a care before the Arbitration Tribunal in which it challenged the use of such apps. The court ruled their use violated the collective agreement that was in place between 2017 and 2021.

The agreement stipulated that the recording of working hours must be done by a device installed at the employer's expense that is as close as possible to the entrance to the worksite.

The employers associations have said they see the geolocation apps as a simple way to modernize the industry and reduce paper. They insist use of the technology would be voluntary.

However, the Alliance Syndicale has called the apps a threat to workers' privacy due to their use of geolocation and installation on personal devices. The alliance has commissioned a report from a cybersecurity firm which validated their concerns.

The employers have said it's not their intention to track workers all day or when they use the bathroom or to get coffee or speak to a union representative.

In an attempt to resolve the impasse, the alliance proposed on Sunday to finalize the collective agreement and postpone the debate on the apps.

A provincial bill dealing with the protection of personal information is currently being studied and the alliance believes the geolocation rules being included in collective agreements could contravene it.

Asked about the threat of a strike, Quebec Labour and Employment Minister Jean Boulet was optimistic, saying “I am confident... because the parties continue to hold talks.”

He noted a hypothetical strike would have “extremely damaging effects” on Quebec's economic recovery.  

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first reported in French on May 24, 2021.