The Professional Association of Quebec Government Engineers (APIGQ) on an indefinite strike since Friday is organizing two protest demonstrations in Montreal and Quebec.
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In Montreal, the striking engineers will observe a rally in front of the offices of the Ministry of Transport, while in Quebec a march is planned from the main parking lot of the Aquarium.
The APIGQ launched the strike movement in reaction to the government’s proposals which cannot solve the problem of attracting and retaining internal expertise, due in particular to an insufficient salary offer.
APIGQ members are 32% to 34% behind in salary compared to other engineers working in the public sector and are calling for a catch-up in this area to be at the same level as other government professionals.
“The Treasury Board multiplies maneuvers and subterfuges to lead us to believe that there is money on the table, but no one is fooled. We note that there is no desire to carry out the necessary salary catch-up for engineers,” declared Marc-André Martin, president of APIGQ.
The engineers’ union is asking the Legault government to improve salary conditions to attract engineers with experience if we want to strengthen engineering expertise.
“Today, we ask nothing more than to reach the same level of delay on our reference market as the other professionals of the Government of Quebec,” added Mr. Martin.