(Quebec) Five crossings operated by the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) were disrupted by a strike on Friday and will be again on Saturday, as navigation officers and engineer officers begin to use the 10-day strike mandate they have been given.
In the case of the Quebec/Lévis, Sorel-Tracy/Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola and Matane/Baie-Comeau/Godbout ferries, service is completely interrupted Friday and Saturday due to this strike by some 150 workers represented by the union Steelworkers.
At the L’Isle-aux-Coudres/Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive and Tadoussac/Baie-Sainte-Catherine crossings, minimal service is provided, since the ferry is considered an essential service.
These two strike days, which come as the long weekend of Quebec’s national holiday begins, are the first two used under a 10-day strike mandate that was adopted by 93% of union members who voted. The dates of the other eight strike days remain to be determined.
“Everything is at a standstill due to lack of mandate from employer negotiators. We have meetings, but nothing happens,” denounced the Steelworkers union representative for the maritime sector, Luc Laberge, in a press release.
The union also mentions that agency workers are paid “between twice and three times” the salary of STQ officers to do the same work, due to recruitment difficulties.
“If the STQ started by paying its people correctly and respecting them, it would not have to pay top dollar for external agency officers,” estimated Mr. Laberge.
Negotiations have been underway for several months.
“The STQ respects the right to strike of its employees, but it finds it unfortunate that the patented employees affiliated with the Steelworkers union are resorting to this means of pressure at this time, since the negotiations are continuing, such as the negotiation schedule plans,” she said.
At the L’Isle-aux-Coudres/Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive crossing, service is provided between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., as well as 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. h Friday. On Saturday, the ferry will operate between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
At the Tadoussac/Baie-Sainte-Catherine crossing, the schedule is as follows: departures every two hours from each bank from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., departures every 30 minutes from each bank from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., and simultaneous departures every 40 minutes on each shore from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
