The 115 bus drivers of the Société de transport de Lévis (STLévis) are threatening to interrupt service for six days in the hope of resolving the impasse which has blocked the renewal of their collective agreement, which has expired since December 2021.
If the negotiations do not lead to any agreement over the next few days, the union is threatening to call a strike from January 23 until January 28 inclusively. The end of the use of subcontracting and part-time positions are the main sticking points at the bargaining table, according to the union.
All routes would be interrupted during this period, except in the west of Lévis, an area served by Autocars des Chutes – a subcontractor. In November, the union of drivers and drivers of the ST Lévis had carried out a day of strike to put pressure on the employer party. The offers, since then, remain unsatisfactory in the eyes of the union members.
“Between the Réseau de transport de la Capitale, in Quebec, and the STLévis, there is a salary difference of $13,000, indicates the CSN. Our members do not want to close this gap, but at least reduce it. »
In an interview, the union mentioned that 35 RTC drivers live in Lévis. “These people prefer to cross bridges each time they work rather than working at the ST Lévis. Why ? Because the working conditions are better,” says the union.
“It is time to make people understand [à l’employeur et à la municipalité] that our service is essential, writes in a press release the president of the union, Alain Audet. Lévis deserves a properly funded public transit service. »
The City of Lévis is granting $13.6 million from its 2023 budget to the ST Lévis. For the union, the municipality of 150,000 inhabitants, which has been growing continuously for a decade, needs to invest more in public transit. “When there is growth, the service must follow suit. On the other hand, what Lévis puts on the table does not go in this direction at the moment. »
In 2019, the ST Lévis claimed “just over 2.8 million users”. The following year, according to the 2020 activity report, the payroll for the company’s drivers represented $7.6 million, or nearly a third of its $24 million budget.