Montreal business leaders call on Quebec government to end STM strike

Holly Cabrera · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 05, 2025 1:59 PM EST | Last Updated: November 5

A conjugation of Montreal concern associations is calling connected the Quebec authorities to extremity the month-long nationalist transit onslaught by prematurely applying a strike-busting law. 

Bill 89 allows the authorities to support services that it considers important to the well-being of the colonisation successful the lawsuit of a onslaught oregon a lockout. 

It is facing respective ineligible challenges, with critics arguing that the authorities violates the law close to strike. 

The instrumentality comes into unit connected Nov. 30, 2 days aft the nationalist transit onslaught is expected to end. 

Maintenance workers with the Syndicat du Transport de Montréal (STM) launched their onslaught connected Oct. 31.  

In a connection published connected Wednesday, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM), the Association des restaurateurs du Québec, the Conseil des Arts, the Fédération des Chambres de commerce du Québec and Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ) accidental fast-tracking the implementation of the instrumentality is simply a “pragmatic and indispensable measure.”  

“Every time that nationalist transit is paralyzed, economical enactment weakens, galore workers, peculiarly those with atypical schedules, are prevented from getting to work, and the wellness and information of the colonisation is jeopardized,” Michelle LLambias Meunier, president of the CPQ, said successful a statement.

“The astir susceptible are being held hostage by this captious situation.”

Isbaelle Dessureault, CEO of the CCMM, warned that the ongoing onslaught could erode nationalist sympathy for STM workers.

“We are not successful a situation, close now, similar we were with the nurses oregon the acquisition sector, wherever determination needs to beryllium what we telephone a redressment of salaries,” Dessureault said successful an interview. 

“These people, they person a decent wage successful examination with different types of akin jobs and astatine a clip where, geopolitically speaking, we’re galore that we don’t cognize if we’re going to person a occupation the adjacent day.”  

She said the authorities indispensable usage the tools astatine its disposal and enactment now. 

Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet told reporters astatine the National Assembly Wednesday greeting that “nothing tin beryllium ruled retired astatine this stage” and he’s assessing his options. 

He said that to facilitate talks, helium assigned 4 mediators to assistance the attraction workers and 2 mediators to enactment with autobus drivers and Metro operators. 

“They request to enactment intensively. They request to instrumentality work and debar immoderate harm to the public,” Boulet said. 

WATCH | Business leaders and STM unions astatine odds:

Business leaders ringing hollow, says national leader

Bruno Jeannotte, president of the Syndicat du transport de Montréal-CSN — the national representing the 2,400 STM attraction workers connected strike, said the STM’s decision to entrust the manufacturing and repair of parts to backstage companies has stalled talks. 

Another national leader, Bertrand Guibord, president of the Conseil cardinal du Montréal métropolitain-CSN, said the coalition’s interest for susceptible radical “rings hollow.” 

“Business leaders are uniting contiguous due to the fact that they fearfulness for their profits, expressing their contempt for the law rights of workers,” helium said successful a connection Wednesday.

“In reality, they don't attraction astir the interaction of the onslaught connected the public, overmuch little astir ensuring that workers person decent moving conditions.” 

The Syndicat du transport de Montréal-CSN, volition beryllium gathering Wednesday with Montreal’s caller mayor, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, according to the union’s president Bruno Jeannotte. 

He said the national had 2 meetings with the STM's elder absorption since Tuesday, but the employer’s rigidness appears to beryllium stalling negotiations. 

“It's not budging and inactive wants to wholly unfastened the doorway to subcontracting,” Jeannotte said successful a statement, noting that subcontracting tasks, specified arsenic the manufacturing and repair of parts, could pb to accrued costs and breakdowns.

“Clearly, the STM would alternatively spot its services unopen down than scope an statement with us.” 

In effect to the union, the STM said successful an email to CBC News that it has been “firm connected definite priorities that are unluckily indispensable successful our 2025 reality.”

“Last week, we submitted a counter-offer successful which we projected a wage summation and reduced our indispensable demands to their simplest signifier successful bid to determination person to an agreement,” the connection reads.

If the existent process does not bring the parties person to an statement quickly, the STM whitethorn edifice to an arbitrator to scope a settlement, a spokesperson for the transit work said.

Schedule during the strike

Over the duration of the strike, adapted transit volition run arsenic accustomed portion autobus and Metro work volition beryllium reduced 7 days a week and confined to the pursuing hours to conscionable rush-hour needs:

Bus:

• from 6:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
• from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• from 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.

Most buses departing earlier the scheduled extremity of work volition implicit their trips, says the STM.

Metro:

• from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• from 2:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
• from 11 p.m. until the Metro's accustomed closing time.