Five days before the ordeal of the partial closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel, nervous workers are turning to hotels near the factory for an emergency base.
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“We offer a 15% discount for workers in Boucherville, near the tunnel,” said Danielle Girard, sales manager for Imperia Hotel & Suites Boucherville, who is feeling the wave.
- Listen to Philippe-Vincent Foisy’s interview with Sophie Mauzerolle, head of transport and mobility on the City’s executive committee on QUB radio:
Last Tuesday, The newspaper met her as she was finishing printing an advertisement aimed at attracting workers, who will soon be stuck in the traffic jams of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel repair work.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
“When people hit their noses on traffic, it’s going to tumble,” she warned.
While working from home may sometimes be the solution for some, factory workers will always need to be on the floor to perform their tasks. They are the ones who will pay the highest price.
At the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the South Shore, it is clear that at midnight minus one, companies are not ruling out any scenario.
- Listen to the interview with Catherine Fournier at the microphone of Philippe-Vincent Foisy broadcast live every day at 7:45 a.m. via QUB-radio :
Secondary housing
“They are considering the option of having either a hotel or secondary accommodation to have their employees closer to their workplace,” says its director of communications, Corinne Demars.
At Krops, in Boucherville, the workers who have to cross the bridge-tunnel every day fear the effects of the lane closures on their lives.
“It will hurt. We have no choice, ”says Mohammed Hosni, forklift driver at Krops, in Boucherville, caught yesterday.
Photo Francis Halin
Mohammad Hosni
“I have a family in Montreal. I have to cross,” he sighs.
At Olymel, we have just obtained access to the Highway 30 bridge for trucks, even if this will cause transportation costs to skyrocket.
“We bought transponders to go to Ontario,” illustrated his spokesperson Richard Vigneault.
For Samuel Colas, Director of Member Relations and Manufacturing Projects at Manufacturers & Exporters of Quebec (MEQ), the pressure is mounting.
Anger and worry
“Right now, it’s more anger and grumbling that we hear from employers and employees,” he observes.
“We’ve heard of employers suggesting employees go to branches closer to home… But what we mostly hear is frustration and anger because of the lack of predictability,” he says.
At the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, we are worried.
“Companies close to the site are preparing. There are a lot of concerns, ”concludes its vice-president Quebec, François Vincent.
– With the collaboration of Valérie Lesage
♦ Last Saturday, The newspaper told the story of Groupe Morneau, which is making great preparations to minimize the impacts of the tunnel closure.