New strike mandate voted by maintenance employees’ union: STM invites union to focus its efforts on negotiations

Press release

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has taken note of the decision of its maintenance employees to authorize their union to call an unlimited general strike but is surprised that the union has opted for new pressure tactics, seeing that the only place the issues can be settled is around the bargaining table.

Montréal, May 27, 2018 – The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has taken note of the decision of its maintenance employees to authorize their union to call an unlimited general strike at the time of its choice within the framework of the current negotiation of their collective agreement.

The STM is surprised that the union has opted for new pressure tactics, seeing that the only place the issues can be settled is around the bargaining table. It encourages the president of the union to start participating constructively in discussions, by finally sitting down at the table.

Aware that the hiring of new personnel will help the parties reach their shared objective of reducing overtime, the STM once again points out, as it has done repeatedly in recent months, that daily service delivery requires a revision of work hours, seeing, for example, that over 60% of maintenance shifts are currently scheduled while buses are on the road. 

To break the current deadlock in negotiations and reach an agreement as soon as possible and under the best possible conditions, the STM recently announced that it plans to submit an official request for a government mediator on June 6. The goal is to ensure long-term service for transit users and protect them from the potential consequences of repeated pressure tactics. Earlier in May, the STM invited the union to join with it in submitting a joint request for voluntary mediation, but the union refused.

The STM repeats that it wants to do everything possible to ratify a new agreement, provided the union agrees to focus its efforts on the right places.

Today’s strike mandate does not necessarily mean that there will be a strike. However, an unlimited strike would have a much greater impact on users of both the métro and buses than the strike held at the start of the month.

As public transit is a public service for which essential services have to be maintained, the union is obliged to provide seven working days’ notice before triggering a strike that would disrupt service.

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Source:
Johanne Dufour
Corporate Administrator, Public Affairs, STM
medias@stm.info