Concerned about the industrial action that has cost 6,000 students in Quebec and Lévis their school transportation since Monday, Education Minister Bernard Drainville assures that he is “following the file very, very closely” and “hopes for a negotiated solution as soon as possible.”
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“I am acutely aware that this industrial action is harming children and parents and disrupting the daily lives of families,” Secretary Drainville said during a press crowd outside the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon.
Autobus Tremblay & Paradis drivers, whose collective bargaining agreement expired seven months ago, began a two-week strike on Monday.
As a result, parents of more than 6,000 students attending facilities at the Découvertes, La Capitale, Navigateurs (Lévis) service centers and the Central Quebec English School Board must resort to a Plan B.
Without having reached the point of issuing an ultimatum to the parties, Minister Drainville reminds that the government is already doing its part to support school bus operators.
fair share
“Government funding for school transportation has increased by $130 million for this year alone, 2022-2023,” the minister said. Of the $130 million last summer, $112 million went directly into the pockets of school bus operators. […] It is obvious that we want to do justice to the drivers. »
The striking drivers, who are affiliated with the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN), are right to demand that the employer share more fairly all the jackpot it benefits from.
“It’s not up to us to decide that fair share, it has to be the subject of discussion and negotiation,” Mr Drainville said. We hope that this negotiation will be settled quickly. »
The minister represents the two parties involved and the mediator named in the file.
He also points out that the government is also doing its part to counteract the labor shortage in this sector. Quebec recently upped a $35 million program that allows drivers to earn a $2,400 per year retention bonus. A $1,770 attraction bonus is also offered.
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