(Montreal) The Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, is starting to get impatient with the strike which has been going on since last fall at the school bus company Autobus Transco and which affects 15,000 children in Montreal.
He will meet Autobus Transco and the union, attached to the Federation of Public Service Employees, affiliated with the CSN, on Friday, in an attempt to promote dialogue.
Some 15,000 children who study in schools of the English Montreal and Lester B. Pearson School Boards, as well as the Marguerite-Bourgeoys and Montreal School Service Centers, in addition to the private Sainte-Anne college, are affected by this walkout.
The strike was called on October 31 by the union which represents some 350 school bus drivers.
The dispute concerns pay increases for bus drivers.
Quebec has already granted financial assistance to school transport companies to help them cope with the increase in various costs. The dispute between the parties concerns the portion of this financial assistance that must be paid to bus drivers.
The employer Transco has offered on more than one occasion to resort to arbitration to resolve the dispute, but the union refuses, affirming that it still wants to negotiate directly with the employer.