“This strike will … harm travel in the greater Montreal metropolitan area during the Canada Day long weekend.”
A strike by employees of the Sorel-Tracy-St-Ignace-de-Loyola ferry will interrupt service on Saturday and Sunday.
The labour conflict affects about 70 employees, members of a local section of the Steelworkers union, affiliated with the FTQ. These include deckhands, gate attendants, cashiers, desk attendants and other job titles.
The service will resume on Sunday according to the normal schedule from 7:30 p.m. from Sorel-Tracy to St-Ignace-de-Loyola, announced the Société des ferry du Québec (STQ).
“The STQ is aware that this strike will have a direct impact on the communities served at the start of summer and will harm travel in the greater Montreal metropolitan area during the Canada Day long weekend. The STQ is doing everything it can to facilitate and accelerate discussions in order to reach an agreement beneficial to both parties.”
The STQ says it respects its employees’ right to strike, but it “still finds it surprising they are resorting to this means of pressure at this time, since the negotiations are continuing, as is the negotiation schedule.
The STQ adds it “remains available at all times to continue negotiations and avoid resorting to strikes or any other means of pressure.”
The dispute mainly concerns salaries. Negotiations have been continuing for several months. Union members are demanding increases to allow them to obtain compensation similar to those who occupy similar positions elsewhere in the industry.
The workers already gave themselves a 10-day strike mandate to exercise at the appropriate time. The dates of the next walkouts have not yet been decided.
Last weekend, five ferries were affected by a two-day walkout, including the one between Sorel and St-Ignace-de-Loyola. However, these were other employees, namely navigation officers and engineering officers.