(Montreal) Due to a strike by employees of the Sorel-Tracy–Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola ferry, service will be interrupted Saturday and Sunday.
The labour dispute affects some 70 employees, members of a local section of the Metalworkers union, affiliated with the FTQ. They include sailors, boarding attendants, cashiers, office agents and other job titles.
The service will resume on Sunday according to the normal schedule from 7:30 p.m. from Sorel-Tracy to Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola, announced the Société des ferry du Québec (STQ).
“The STQ is aware that this strike will have a direct impact on the communities served at the start of summer and will harm travel in the greater Montreal metropolitan area during the Canada Day long weekend. The STQ is doing everything it can to facilitate and accelerate discussions in order to reach an agreement beneficial to both parties,” she indicated in a press release earlier this week.
The STQ says it respects its employees’ right to strike, but it “still finds it surprising that they are resorting to this means of pressure at this time, since negotiations are continuing, as the negotiation schedule provides.”
The STQ adds that it “remains available at all times to continue negotiations and avoid resorting to strikes or any other means of pressure.”
The dispute mainly concerns salaries. Negotiations have been going on for several months already.
These union members are demanding increases to allow them to obtain compensation similar to those who occupy similar positions elsewhere in the industry.
These workers have already given themselves a 10-day strike mandate to be exercised at the appropriate time. The dates of the next walkouts have not yet been set.
Last weekend, five ferry crossings were affected by a two-day walkout, including the one that connects Sorel to Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola. However, it involved other employees, namely navigation officers and engineer officers.