MONTREAL -- Bus drivers employed by the Société de transport de Laval (STL) are on strike Wednesday.
After 22 negotiation sessions and a conciliation-mediation, the STL and the local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, have still not managed to reach a middle ground.
The agreement of 625 STL bus drivers expired on July 31, 2019. This is their first day of proposed walkouts.
During the strike, essential services will be provided from 6 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
The dispute stems from the proposed abolishment of bus routes that have insufficient demand, as well as salaries and schedules.
The STL, like other transit agencies, is struggling with a decline in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It says it has a very tight fiscal framework and is committed to meeting it.
"Despite the budgetary constraints, due in particular to the significant drop in ridership linked to the pandemic, the STL has tabled an offer that includes a salary increase that is comparable to what has been agreed to by other Quebec transit companies," said management.
The union countered it allowed the transit company to achieve savings, but not on the understanding that the money would be reinvested in working conditions.
Union President Patrick Lafleur says he advocates for maintaining bus routes rather than cutting services.
"Public transit is the only way to get out of the climate crisis. The STL's management is burying its head in the sand by refusing to see what is obvious: without adequate public transportation, Laval residents will turn to cars," he said.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 3, 2021.
