While the drivers of the Réseau de transport de la Capitale could go on strike in the coming weeks, the Administrative Labor Court has ruled that the RTC is not obliged to provide an essential service in the event of a strike.
According to Bruno Marchand, the decision sets a precedent and risks affecting the level of service in Quebec’s cities in the event of a strike by transport workers.
“This decision is not fair for Quebec, it is there for the next conflicts that will take place in the big cities of Quebec [et les] smaller towns. This means that a conflict can go on for three, four, five, six months without anyone being able to use public transport. »
– A quote from Bruno Marchand, Mayor of Quebec
The mayor believes the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ) needs to look into the matter.
The UMQ takes note of the TAT’s decision and will analyze the implications for the City of Quebec and its members, but prefers not to make any further comments for the time being, replies its spokesman Patrick Lemieux.
Bruno Marchand at a press conference on Tuesday
Photo: Radio Canada
minimum services
In its decision, the court concludes that the increase in traffic that a strike by bus drivers could cause is unlikely to pose a risk to the health or safety of the population due to the deterioration in working hours. intervention of the emergency services.
That we have at least essential services to be able to move people seems to me to be something necessary in 2023, Mr. Marchand believes for his part.
The RTC has historically been required to maintain essential services in the event of a strike. Ditto for its counterparts in big cities like Montreal, Laval and Longueuil. This is the first time since the law was changed that the court has had to deal with this issue.
The mayor explains that the RTC is considering the possibility of appealing the decision. For many people, public transport is a way to get where they want to go, he adds.
Without a one-year contract, the 900 RTC bus drivers risk going on strike from July 1-16, during the Festival d’été de Québec, unless an agreement is reached with their employer. here there.
Blind spot
“What we regret most is the fact that we have the impression that public transport users are the big ones who have been forgotten in this decision,” says Marie-Soleil Gagné, General Director of Accès Transport Viables.
She cites the pandemic as an example, a time when many essential workers, whose mobility was then considered essential, used public transport. Mobility is a right that requires the exercise of other rights. If you do not have access to a mobility option […]it makes us vulnerable.
According to her, 20% of the population capable of driving a driver’s license do not voluntarily own one. What do we do with these people? asks Ms. Gagné.
On Friday, the union said it was very pleased with the recovery [son] full right to strike. The president of the drivers’ union RTC, Hélène Fortin, pointed out in a press release that the ruling completely changed the situation in terms of power relations.
However, she is confident that a satisfactory agreement can be reached by June 30, thus avoiding a strike.
With information from Olivier Lemieux