(Montreal, Quebec) Dissatisfied with the action plan presented by the FTQ-Construction, the Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, spoke directly to the president of the FTQ, Jean Boyer, and asked him to “shed light on the events which led to the election of Rénald Grondin at the head of “one of the largest unions in Quebec”.
Updated yesterday at 10:37 p.m.
The FTQ-Construction, which brought together the 17 directors of its affiliated unions on an emergency basis, announced on Tuesday that it was adopting an action plan on psychological and sexual harassment following the resignation of its president, Rénald Grondin. , who harassed and assaulted an administrative secretary for two years, from 2008 to 2010, when he was director general of the Association of Inter-Provincial Maneuvers.
In a press release published at the end of this extraordinary meeting, the union indicated that it would adopt a series of measures to prevent a similar situation from happening again, such as a review of internal policies and the addition of training mandatory for “people in positions of power”. Reference was also made to the introduction of “investigation mechanisms”, without further details.
The FTQ-Construction, which does not grant any interview to detail its plan, remains silent on the request of Minister Jean Boulet, who is calling for an investigation into the events.
“I welcome the initiative, there is still a reaction. Does that satisfy me? I don’t think that will allow us to get to the bottom of things, ”lamented the Minister of Labor in an interview. Jean Boulet seeks to understand how Rénald Grondin was able to climb the ladder despite the existence of a decision by the Commission des lésions professionnelles in 2012, revealed by The Press last week.
SCREEN CAPTURE FROM A VIDEO OF THE BUILDERS’ DINNERS
Rénald Grondin resigned the day after the revelations made by The Press.
“The FTQ-Construction, I don’t know how it will behave, but for me, it seems imperative to me to question ourselves and to determine how it happened that it got there,” added Mr. Boulet. The latter had just met again with the president of the Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ), Daniel Boyer. “I think he got the message,” he said.
Jean Boulet nevertheless saw fit to send a letter to Mr. Boyer, that The Press was able to consult, in order to emphasize the importance of “questioning oneself on the impunity that allowed [à M. Grondin] to reach the presidency of one of the largest unions in Quebec”.
Photo Jacques Boissinot, ARCHIVES The Canadian Press
Jean Boulet, Minister of Labor
“Consequently, I ask you to shed light on the events and actions that were the subject of the decision of the Commission des lésions professionnelles (CLP), in October 2012,” continues Mr. Boulet in his letter. A little earlier Tuesday, during the study of the budgetary appropriations of his ministry, he had also affirmed that he was going to “ensure that there is an investigation” into this affair.
“We will see what form it will take,” he said, questioned by Liberal MP Frantz Benjamin, before recalling that Mr. Grondin held an “elected position” and that, therefore, “the FTQ has a responsibility”.
In his letter, Minister Jean Boulet also asks that the FTQ remind its affiliated unions “of the obligations that apply to them, as an employer”, pointing out that the construction industry is facing rates of significant dropout among women. He also demands that the FTQ and its affiliated unions “raise their standards in terms of due diligence of the background of their leaders”.
“I’m going to ensure a follow-up, I’m going to make sure that after getting to the bottom of things, there’s an action plan as submitted in the press release from the FTQ-Construction, and it I have to have an assurance that this type of situation will not happen again,” insisted the minister in an interview.
Series of new measures
In its press release, the FTQ-Construction lists a series of new measures to prevent a similar situation from happening again. The leaders of the FTQ-Construction and affiliated unions will now have to declare their criminal record and their personal conduct problems. There is also mention of “strict eligibility criteria” for representatives and decision-making positions, without detailing them.
People in positions of power will also be required to undergo training on sexual or psychological harassment. Note, however, that the Commission de la construction du Québec already investigates the criminal backgrounds of union leaders.
“With these measures, the FTQ-Construction wants to ensure that people who apply for positions within the organization have nothing to hide. If we ever discover anything that contravenes our policies, we would have the means to act, ”explained Éric Boisjoly, general manager of the FTQ-Construction, in a written statement.
We also note in the press release that the directors who met urgently “had a thought for the victims of sexual assault”. The FTQ-Construction must hold its convention on May 25 and 26. The election of the new executive will take place at this time.