Couillard may pass special law in engineers’ conflict
The government of Premier Philippe Couillard says it will pass a special law on Thursday to force engineers back to work if they don’t come to an agreement at the bargaining table by then.
Treasury Board president Pierre Arcand told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that he was giving government engineers the Thursday deadline to come to an agreement in principle with the employer’s side.
Couillard has already convened the National Assembly for a special session on Thursday evening in case the talks fail.
The government engineers have been without a collective agreement for 36 months and have been engaging in pressure tactics, such as refusing to work overtime.
Refusing overtime has meant they inspect all roadwork by day, which the government says could cause traffic jams. “Our negotiators are ready to work all night, but the citizens of Quebec will not again be disrupted by traffic problems tomorrow (Thursday) and in the days that follow,” Arcand said.
He was accompanied by Transport Minister André Fortin.
Arcand had already said earlier in the day that a “passageway” was possible, but that the engineers had to renounce on their demands for a salary hike of about 20 per cent over seven years.
The union, the Association professionnelle des ingénieurs du gouvernement du Québec (APIGQ), reacted swiftly, with its president, Marc-André Martin, saying his union had nevertheless pledged to drop pressure tactics as of Wednesday afternoon until the spring to give negotiations a chance.
“We want a negotiated agreement. We came with a proposal to settle (the dispute),” he told reporters. “While we negotiate, there are ministers who are plotting behind our backs. We’re certainly shocked.” Martin called the threats about traffic congestion a “show” by the government and a “public-relations operation.”
Earlier this week, the labour tribunal, Tribunal administratif du travail, rejected the Couillard government’s request to have general roadwork inspections recognized as an essential service so that the government could impose a nighttime schedule.