The mayor of Quebec has asked for a quick intervention from the Minister of Labor of Quebec in the strike of employees of the Réseau de transports de la Capitale (RTC) which officially began this Saturday, in the early morning.
Bruno Marchand maintains that Minister Jean Boulet must act and “realize that the situation is serious”.
” And [la situation] lasts it will be even more serious. […] The Government of Quebec passed a law a few years ago to say that our public transport is not an essential service and there is something wrong there. »
Even if he did not want to come forward as to the proclamation of a special law by Minister Boulet, Mayor Marchand specified that a short-term solution was needed because the situation is “untenable”.
“We will see what means he can take, he explains. In the short term, it is certain that changing the law to make it an essential service will not happen. At the same time, it has to be done quickly because there are other negotiations coming up in Quebec and in Quebec with other union authorities. If the law does not change, we will hit our heads against the same wall every time and it will affect the citizens of Montreal, Quebec and other cities in Quebec. »
The mayor invites the Minister of Labor to go on the ground to “see the damage” that a conflict like this could cause in the long term. He would like to see the law changed to “remove the sword of Damocles” hanging over the heads of the province’s public transport services.
Concern for the FEQ
Bruno Marchand also expressed his concerns if the conflict were to continue until the start of the Festival d’été de Québec. The City of Quebec has worked upstream to set up a backup plan in recent weeks, in the event that the strike must continue.
“Everything is on the table. […] However, it will never return to normal. All that we will be able to put in place will not cover all the negative consequences of having public transport stopped. »
2023-07-01 20:56:16
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