The 35 checkpoints with weighing will remain closed in Quebec until a satisfactory offer is presented to the highway controllers.
At least that’s what the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which brings together the Brotherhood of Road Control Constables in Quebec (FCCRQ), said. The weigh stations have been closed for a week, despite the thaw period and the restrictions imposed on heavy goods vehicles.
The 278 highway controllers in Quebec have been without a contract of employment since March 2020. They do not have the right to strike and they cannot use pressure tactics. The Alliance therefore speaks rather of “means of raising awareness”.
“The traffic controllers are still on the road. They are there to do the work, but the scales are closed until further notice,” said Nathalie Rainville, negotiator for the Alliance.
Despite the closure of the checkpoints, Ms. Rainville ensures that the road controllers continue to accomplish their mission since they are equipped with manual wheel scales and that they patrol the roads.
The thaw period in the three zones has been in effect in Quebec since March 28. Further meetings with the employer are scheduled for the end of the month.
Highway controllers expect to have the same offers presented to peace officers in Quebec’s correctional services, whose union recently reached a tentative agreement.
According to Ms. Rainville, the negotiations concerning the normative clauses are over, but the monetary aspect remains to be settled.
“Treasury Board is ignoring us because we are not a big group. We are far from the agreement in principle. We turn a deaf ear to the side of the Treasury Board when it comes time to talk about money,” added Éric Labonté, president of the FCCRQ.
More responsibilities
The salary range has not been reviewed since 2001, while the union believes that the responsibilities have “enormously” increased in twenty years.
On April 6, traffic controllers intercepted a driver for a cell phone while driving and discovered that the vehicle was carrying a shipment of 760,000 synthetic drug tablets.
Traffic controllers have long asked to be able to be armed. They are waiting for a meeting, which is slow in coming, with the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, to be able to discuss it.
A complaint will be heard at the Administrative Labor Tribunal regarding non-compliance with section 51 of the Code, which provides that the employer must take the necessary measures to protect the health and ensure the safety of its workers. Hearings are scheduled for May 5.