MONTREAL - Calm appears to have returned to Quebec's construction sites.
On Wednesday morning most construction workers returned to work as usual after having left the job Monday and Tuesday in protest of Bill 33.
The proposed provincial legislation would put the placement of workers into the hands of the Quebec Construction Commission rather than the unions.
Militant squads of union members forced workers to leave construction sites earlier in the week. As a result the Quebec Construction Commission received dozens of complaints Tuesday.
But many of those workers expressed relief to be back plying their trades Wednesday.
"I think a lot of people sorted out a lot of things yesterday and today we see the results," roofer Stefano Bertone told CTV Montreal.
"Everybody is back at work. It was funny to see how a group of people were able to shut down all the construction sites in Quebec. It's good to see everybody's back and we're going to finish the year on a good foot," he said.
The workers were told to brace for the possibility of further labour disruptions.
The Quebec Construction Association confirmed that its members submitted 70 complaints stemming from the labour stoppage. About 40 cease-and-desist orders had also been addressed to the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ) and the Provincial Council of Building Trades.
The president of the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ), Michel Arsenault, presented arguments Wednesday in the National Assembly to the parliamentary committee studying Bill 33.
The FTQ rejected the government's proposal to put the province's construction commission in charge of assigning workers projects, instead proposing an alternative system that would maintain the current process, without supervision of the Construction Commission. It would allow additional mechanisms to avoid cases of discrimination.
"You know what the Anglophones say," said Arsenault in French, before switching to English."If it ain't broken, don't fix it."
Arsenault praised the province's construction industry and its standards.
"We're very proud of it and we think that with this bill, she's going to be killing the spirit of our members," he said.
He also downplayed recent allegations of intimidation on construction worksites.
"There are lots of rumours going around... and you can't pass a piece of legislation because you're hearing this and that," he said.
He predicted that changing the industry would cost the Quebec economy. He said the body to be placed in charge of assigning workers, the Quebec Construction Commission (CCQ), will not know employees as well and will wind up assigning the wrong workers to jobs.
He said that will result in slower jobs and cost overruns that will wind up killing hundreds of businesses.
Arsenault noted there had been barely 30 complaints of workplace intimidation on Quebec construction sites last year -- compared to 2,000 launched against police officers.
Minister Lise Thériault has insisted on abolishing the union hiring system altogether.
With a file from The Canadian Press
