Weekend strike for Sorel-Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola ferry

A Steelworkers Union flag. (Jacques Boissinot/La Presse Canadienne)

Another strike is expected to affect the ferry linking Sorel to Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola this weekend.

The strike is scheduled to last two days, from Saturday at 6 a.m. to Sunday at 7 p.m.

Some 70 employees who are members of a local branch of the Steelworkers union affiliated with the FTQ are expected to take part in the strike.

These include deckhands, boarding attendants, cashiers, office agents and more.

The dispute mainly concerns wages.

Negotiations with the Société des traversiers du Québec have been going on for several months now.

Union members are demanding increases that bring their pay in line with workers in similar positions elsewhere in the industry.

The workers have already given themselves a 10-day strike mandate to be exercised at the appropriate time.

Dates for future walkouts have not yet been set.

The Société des traversiers has already deplored the use of strike action as it affects the public, arguing that negotiations are still ongoing.

Last weekend, five ferries were affected by a two-day walkout, including the one between Sorel and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola.

However, the workers involved were different employees, namely navigation and mechanical officers.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 28, 2024.