(Montreal) The bill aimed at increasing the mobility and versatility of workers in the construction industry was adopted Thursday in the National Assembly.
The bill presented by the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, will allow greater sharing of tasks between certain construction trades.
It will also ease the rules governing the mobility of workers between the different regions of Quebec.
It also aims to strengthen the role, governance and operation of the Commission de la construction du Québec.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet
The Minister of Labor welcomed the adoption of his bill, which he believes will facilitate the execution of construction projects. “It is a whole series of means that will help the industry to better carry out the hospital, school, housing and energy, industrial or commercial infrastructure projects that Quebec needs to ensure its prosperity and to successfully complete the energy transition,” he said in a press release.
Entrepreneurs
Employer associations welcomed the adoption of the bill, affirming that it is likely to increase productivity on site, in particular through the decompartmentalization of certain professions and greater interregional mobility of workers.
“Although the new law does not provide for full mobility of apprentice workers, the ACQ believes that the changes made will allow for better allocation of resources. Indeed, the new legislation guarantees qualified workers and professionals in various trades the right to freely choose their work sites and regions. For the ACQ, it is essential that access to employment is not limited by the place of residence of workers,” commented the Quebec Construction Association in particular.
Unions
The trade union associations are of a completely different opinion. They fear for the quality of certain work, because of the sharing of tasks, and for questions of health and safety at work.
Heavy equipment operators, for example, denounced the situation. “The union leadership has imperatively called out to the government on several occasions the immediate danger implied by its principle of versatility in its Bill 51, by authorizing all trades in the construction industry to operate heavy machinery. Let us remember that several trades have been excluded from the concept of versatility for safety reasons,” particularly deplored local section 791 of the FTQ-Construction.
Union associations also fear the repercussions of the new rules facilitating interregional mobility on workers in remote regions and the friction that this could cause, if they find themselves unemployed, while they see workers from other regions disembarking to work on construction sites in their region.