CUPE, which represents some 5,000 City of Montreal blue-collar workers, strongly denounced the sanctions of unprecedented scope against a number of workers, including officers of the Syndicat des Cols bleus regroupés de Montréal.
The decision by Mayor Coderre is a blatant attempt to muzzle the union while the city has recourse as never before to subcontracting services that should be provided by its blue-collars. Although the collective agreement is in effect until December 31, 2017, the city flouting the work contract, is outsourcing work to private firms with the cost for these services skyrocketing.
“Mayor Coderre didn’t even have the decency to notify the union of the sanctions. The president of the union of blue-collars possibly affected by the measures had to learn about them from the media. Since the mayor took office, labour relations have never been as strained, if not to say rotten, with all City of Montreal employees,” said Marc Ranger, assistant director of CUPE’s municipal sector. “He is solely responsible for this, and his support for the power of cities to decree working conditions, with the signing of the fiscal pact just throws oil on the fire.”
The administration of Mayor Coderre is targeting blue-collar workers for an assembly that harmed no one, and was held in an orderly and disciplined manner. CUPE will muster all the energy required to defend the blue-collars against this abuse.