Following a motion passed in the National Assembly calling for an inquiry into the events that led to the election of Rénald Grondin as President of the FTQ-Construction, the Fédération des Travailleurs du Québec ( FTQ) turns around and launches its investigation.
In a press release sent at the end of the day on Wednesday, the FTQ said it had taken note of the motion tabled earlier in the day by the Minister of Employment and Labor, Jean Boulet, and adopted unanimously by the deputies.
In response, the FTQ and the FTQ-Construction “announce the holding of an independent investigation”, one can read. The union adds that “the terms and the mandate remain to be clarified”, but says it wants to “get to the bottom of things” and “shed light on the recent revelations which led to the resignation” of Mr. Grondin. An independent firm will be in charge of the investigation.
On Tuesday, the union announced that it was going to adopt a series of measures to prevent a similar situation from happening again, such as a review of internal policies and the addition of mandatory training.
He had, however, ignored the request of Mr. Boulet, who demanded an investigation into the events to understand how Mr. Grondin had been able to reach the presidency of one of the largest Quebec unions.
On Wednesday, the Minister returned to the charge with a motion in which the National Assembly recalls that all organizations must be exemplary in the prevention of psychological and sexual harassment, and that the construction industry is no exception.
The industry has a responsibility “to ensure a healthy workplace free from all forms of harassment for all workers,” the motion reads.
She also points out that in 2021, women represented only 3.27% of the total workforce in the construction industry, and that around 55% of them leave construction sites after five years.
“That the National Assembly demand that the FTQ launch an investigation in order to shed light on the recent revelations concerning the chairmanship of the FTQ-Construction. »
On April 28, Rénald Grondin resigned as president of the FTQ-Construction, in the wake of revelations that he harassed a secretary for two years.
According to the Commission des lésions professionnelles, the facts occurred between 2008 and 2010, when Mr. Grondin was the general manager of the Interprovincial Maneuvers Association, affiliated with the FTQ-Construction.
Rénald Grondin became president of the FTQ-Construction in 2018, the largest labor organization in the construction industry, with 85,000 members.