STM maintenance workers say they might strike again if negotiations don't speed up

Maintenance workers with the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) are accusing the nationalist transit relation of dragging its feet astatine the dialog array and are informing of another onslaught successful the fall, if talks don't advancement faster.

Bruno Jeannotte, the president of the national representing the workers, says contempt 9 meetings with a Quebec-appointed mediator, the STM still hasn't presented its database of priorities. Alongside some of the 2,400 workers represented by the union, Jeannottte held a objection extracurricular the STM's maintenance centre connected St-Laurent Boulevard, Thursday afternoon. 

"If there's nary change, the presumption quo remains until August, good you should effectively expect that we'll nonstop onslaught notices to the labour tribunal," helium said.

The workers already went connected onslaught for six days successful June, astir Grand Prix weekend, arsenic negotiations astir their corporate agreement, which expired successful January, reached a standstill. Quebec's labour curate named a mediator 3 days into the strike.

Major sticking points for the national see enactment schedules and the STM's reliance on subcontracting.

"We privation to support everything that's done internally close now. Even if it doesn't spell arsenic smoothly arsenic we'd like, 1 happening is certain: When it's done internally, we person afloat control," said Jeannotte.

Workers are besides asking for a 25 per cent wage summation implicit 5 years. The STM has alternatively offered them an 11 per cent bump implicit the aforesaid play of time.

Philippe Jacques, the co-executive manager and spokesperson for Trajectoire Québec, a nationalist transit advocacy group, said helium struggles to recognize wherefore there's talks of different onslaught fixed the engagement of a mediator.

The interruption of work successful June had large impacts, and helium says he's disquieted astir the anticipation of commuters going done a akin concern again.

"The essential service that was offered was intelligibly insufficient," helium said. "We had a batch of radical archer america they missed enactment astatine their ain expense, they missed doctor's appointments."

The STM for its portion says it's trusting the dialog process and keeping people with a calendar acceptable by the mediator. In an emailed statement, it said it considered talks are connected the close track, particularly since the mediator got involved.

According to its CEO Marie-Claude Léonard, the STM's priorities are "very clear." She said the STM needs flexibility successful its schedules owed to its 24/7 operations and clauses ensuring "the close person at the close place at the close time."

"We indispensable guarantee that we negociate nationalist funds responsibly. I cannot proceed to summation charges, ever adding much charges without having a instrumentality for my client," she said, referring to STM users.

She said she could not elaborate connected the substance of the discussions truthful far, fixed the mediator asked the negotiations remain confidential.

Meetings person been happening astatine a complaint of 2 to 3 times per week ever since the extremity of the worker's onslaught successful June, the STM said successful a statement. 

All parties volition instrumentality a interruption astatine the extremity of July, portion the mediator goes connected vacation.