MONTREAL -- Ferry mechanics and navigation officers at the Sorel, Quebec City, L'Isle-aux-Coudres and Matane ferries will be on strike the weekend of Aug. 14 to demand negotiations on a new labour contract.
The walkout is expected to begin on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 6 a.m. and normal activities will resume on Monday at the same time.
In all, five days of strike action are planned, although the dates of the last three have not yet been announced.
According to a news release from the steelworkers union, which is affiliated with the FTQ, workers have been without a contract since April 2020, and "the last wage increases were in April 2018."
The union says the strike received 97 per cent support from members.
"Our members have been getting poorer for three years now as their wages have not kept up with inflation. Hourly rates are now $8 to $10 lower than those for comparable jobs in the private sector," said USW union representative Luc Laberge.
"There is not even a date set for negotiations, since the employer negotiators have still not received their mandate from the Treasury Board to address the monetary aspects of the contract," added Local 9599 president Bruno Gagnon, who is calling on the government to "give the mandates to its negotiators so that we can finally resolve this impasse."
According to Gagnon, the non-competitive wages are creating a "staffing shortage" that is forcing employees to "work overtime to ensure continuity of service," which he describes as "exhausting."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 4, 2021.
