The Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, is advancing her return from a trip to Europe by a day due to the crisis and the queues that are accumulating in the branches of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) .
This is M’s office.me Guilbault who confirmed the information on Tuesday. This was first reported in a chronicle of The Press at the start of the day. It is unclear at this time whether the Minister has scheduled a press conference or a public visit. His press officer, Louis-Julien Dufresne, however, says that the situation should change in the coming days.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s trip to Europe began on 1er March, with the aim of documenting public transport financing mechanisms, particularly in Paris. She was due to return in the middle of the week, but preferred to return to Quebec now to help resolve the customer service crisis, which is severely affecting the SAAQ and its reputation with the public.
On Sunday, the SAAQ announced that 150 employees, workers from other sectors, would be reassigned to welcoming customers and helping with online registration. Retired employees could also be involved. They were to receive “accelerated” training on Monday, in order to be in post from March 13. Seven service centers should receive these new resources.
Depending on the number of visitors, the opening hours will be brought forward in the morning and extended at the end of the day. Services will also be offered by appointment on weekends.
Remember that a daily reception capacity of each service center has also been published since Monday on the SAAQ website, which also plans to set up heated shelters in certain branches for people waiting outside. Self-service digital kiosks have also been added at certain points of service.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
A queue was present Tuesday morning in front of the offices of the SAAQ on Henri-Bourassa, in Montreal.
“I hope that with the measures, […] the situation will be resolved “, had then wished Mme Guilbault. “What we have seen recently in SAAQ branches is unacceptable. […] The management is also aware that the situation no longer holds, ”she insisted.
Phishing alert
The SAAQ also launched a “phishing alert” on Tuesday in the face of cases of fraud linked to the crisis, which have been increasing in recent days. “The closure of our branches from January 26 to February 20 has affected many motorists in Quebec. As an apology, we are giving you a credit. Answer YES to get it “, is it in particular written in a text message which circulates more and more.
Long queues made up of angry customers were again observed in front of branches in several regions of Quebec at the start of the week. The SAAQ’s digital platform was to allow customers to carry out most transactions online. Since its launch on February 20, 103,000 Quebecers have successfully used it among the 335,000 customers served.
On Monday, the union representing 2,200 SAAQ employees argued that management had been warned by employees that the digital transition should be more “gradual”, attacking the government’s “poor planning”.
“We didn’t do the necessary communication, we didn’t provide the required training. Our members had however informed the managers that we were not ready to arrive with this transition, overnight, that we were going into the wall. But no one listened to us, and you see the result, ”hammered the president of the Union of Public and Parapublic Service of Quebec (SFPQ), Christian Daigle.
With The Canadian Press