Friday was Day five of rotating strikes by Montreal’s blue-collar workers’ union, and already there are complaints about the quality of their work.
The controversy surrounds snow clearing in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
A visibly upset Michael Appelbaum accused the union Friday of failing to lay down salt during the last snowfall – a move that he says compromises public safety in the east-end borough.
Appelbaum laid blame squarely on the shoulders of political rival Real Menard, who is the borough mayor in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
"Instead of looking after the citizens of his borough, he decided to have a press conference supporting the blue collar workers," Appelbaum told a news conference.
"They have a responsibility, and that was to provide nine drivers to be out on the road by 7 o'clock in the morning, and he didn't address that to the blue collar workers."
No one was injured on the slippery roads.
About six centimetres of snow fell on Thursday. The Essential Services Council has ruled that blue collar workers have to clear the streets and remove the snow as soon as there's a nine-centimetre snowfall.
Applebaum says he'll go back to the council to demand a revised ruling if there's any more trouble from the workers.
The 5,000 workers are holding borough-by-borough strikes for the next 35 days to protest the slow pace of contract talks.
They’ve been without a contract since August 2007.
