(Quebec) Rénald Grondin has resigned from the presidency of the FTQ-Construction, the union announced Thursday morning. He left his post following an article by The Press which revealed that the man, when he was general manager of the Inter-Provincial Maneuvers Association, harassed and assaulted a secretary for two years.
Posted at 10:27
Updated at 2:22 p.m.
In a written statement, the FTQ-Construction assures that it conducted an investigation into the background of Rénald Grondin when he ran for union elections in 2018. The Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) and the Ministry of Labor also took part in these investigations, the union maintains.
“No compromising decision concerning Rénald Grondin was released,” the press release said.
Important nuances are necessary. The Ministry of Labor maintains that “it does not do background checks to confirm the elections to the FTQ” since “it is an elective position which has no connection” with it. In addition, under the law, anyone found guilty of a criminal charge cannot lead a union, and this is what the CCQ verifies during its investigation. It therefore does not have the mandate to carry out broader verifications and to scrutinize decisions, for example, of the Commission des lésions professionnelles. This explains why nothing came out in the case of Mr. Grondin, she specifies.
The Press got his hands on a decision of the Professional Injuries Commission dating from 2012, which shows what Rénald Grondin did to a secretary for two years when he was director general of the Association des maneuvers inter-provincials, a union affiliated with the FTQ-Construction.
The assaults began following a Montreal Canadiens hockey game attended by several employees in February 2008. “At the end of the game, her superior insisted on driving her home. She felt compelled to accept despite her discomfort. Once at his home, the latter made advances of a sexual nature. She told him that she did not want to and tried to push him away, ”notes the decision of administrative judge Guylaine Moffet.
“Thereafter, under various pretexts, he asked her to come to his office and he locked the door and assaulted her. The worker explains that she tried to push him away, told him that she was not consenting, but trivialized the event to him and mentioned that he wanted “to be close to his secretary”, “we read in the decision which has remained in the shadows to this day. The victim is still suffering from post-traumatic shock. She declined our interview request.
The FTQ-Construction assures, in its press release, that it does not tolerate sexual and psychological harassment. “It’s zero tolerance. We know that we operate in a male-dominated industry with a difficult climate for female workers and we must be an example for all. »
“Our organization will step up its investigations to ensure that such a situation does not happen again and will make sure to honor the high standards demanded by the members who have chosen us throughout the province”, we read in the statement.
“This person must resign”
In an outing rarely seen from a Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet had asked for the resignation of the president of the FTQ-Construction, Rénald Grondin, who harassed and assaulted an administrative secretary for two years.
“This person must resign as soon as possible,” said Jean Boulet on Thursday, following the report by The Press which report an “unacceptable” situation. “I think that the FTQ must act quickly, that the appropriate decisions be made so that this person withdraws from his position as quickly as possible. And that goes through a voluntary departure or termination of employment. »
Jean Boulet spoke with the president of the FTQ, Daniel Boyer, to ensure that the cleaning is done. A few minutes later, Rénald Grondin’s resignation was confirmed.
PHOTO ÉRICK LABBÉ, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
John Boulet
“We must ensure that any work environment is free from any risk to the psychological integrity of people, in all sectors of activity. And here, it is the construction sector, which has a stake in integrating and retaining the female workforce. [Cette affaire] projects extremely negative perceptions on this sector. It’s serious, it’s intolerable, it can’t be accepted. […] We cannot tolerate that a person who is president of the FTQ-Construction can continue to act in circumstances like these,” explained the minister.
Jean Boulet suggests that the file will not stop there. He replied in the affirmative when asked if verifications will be made to find out how Mr. Grondin was able to climb the ranks of the FTQ-Construction despite his actions. “I want to get to the bottom of things. I want to know the history of this file,” said the minister. He added: “I don’t know all the facts. If there is reason to make other complaints, or civil or criminal remedies, the appropriate procedures must be instituted to denounce situations, once again, which are intolerable”.
The opposition had also demanded the departure of Mr. Grondin.
“He is in a position of authority, these actions occurred in the workplace, he is the highest authority in a body that must defend workers. I think he should leave office, ”said PQ MP Véronique Hivon Thursday at a press briefing.
Mme Hivon reminds that Mr. Grondin was elected by its members. “But was he elected knowingly? Obviously, it is up to the members to express themselves on this. But I must tell you that, as someone who has been fighting for years for the recognition of the impact of sexual violence and the impact it has on society in general, I do not see how we can tolerate a such a situation,” she said.
Liberal Christine St-Pierre, who served as Minister for the Status of Women in the past, is “scandalized”. Mr. Grondin had to “withdraw” and the FTQ had to give an “explanation”. “I think of his victim. He’s the first person I think of. How does she feel? What traumas has she had? Put yourself in the shoes of the victim, and you have the answer on how I feel this morning, ”she said.
Courage
Mme St-Pierre speaks of a setback, and cannot believe that the “construction community” has still not understood that “it’s a men’s community and that there is a message to send to women who might want to get into the construction industry,” she said.
The member for Québec solidaire, Christine Labrie, congratulated the victim who had “the courage” to denounce, especially since at the time “it was not a very favorable climate for denunciation and then for exercising these appeal “.
“I wouldn’t like it to be represented by someone who has done things like that. It demonstrates the importance of lifting the taboo on this type of behavior, that people are informed when there are people who behave inappropriately around them, in order to be able to make informed decisions,” he added. she asserted.
However, she did not ask for the departure of Mr. Grondin, and affirms that it is rather the members of the union to “check whether they are comfortable with it or not. »
Since the decision of the Professional Injury Commission, Mr. Grondin has continued to climb the ranks at the FTQ. In 2018, he was elected president of the FTQ-Construction, the largest construction union in the province, which represents 80,000 workers. The same year, he began to get involved in Soupers des bâtisseurs, events organized by the organization 2159, which fights against sexual exploitation, among others. He was due to retire in mid-May.