CUPE 4528, which represents 570 aquatic sector employees, has denounced the decision by the Ville de Québec which, instead of mitigating the damage to its aquatic sector personnel and the public, went one step further and shut down all recreational facilities affected by the outside workers’ strike. This action directly involves 295 employees whose shifts had already been planned.
“The Marchand administration decided to tighten the screws on CUPE members, even those not affected by the conflict, in order to apply pressure on the outside workers’ union by adding to all of the collateral damage inflicted on citizens. It’s sad,” said union representative Jean-François Godbout.
The Labour Code stipulates that management personnel can perform the duties of personnel within the bargaining units in the event of a strike or a conflict to maintain services to the public. Whenever outside workers have gone out on strike in the past, many recreational facilities remained open. At times, only one or two outside workers would be on duty to maintain the premises. The decision to shut these facilities down and layoff the entire staff of the aquatic sector lay fully with the Ville de Québec and has absolutely nothing to do with the strike by outside workers.
The city has been late in sending the list of members who will be affected by this decision in spite of repeated requests to this effect.
“Luc Boissonneault, the president of the manual employees’ union, and I have met, and we stand in solidarity with the outside workers who are fighting to improve their working conditions. We ask that the Marchand administration resolve the conflict at the bargaining table, thereby enabling us to return to work as soon as possible,” said Frédérique Garneau, president of CUPE 4528.
The aquatic personnel laid off will be compensated through the Canadian Union of Employees strike fund. The penalized workers will thus be receiving compensation for the entire time they are laid off.
Recall that 40% of manual employees have left the Ville de Québec in the past five years to work in neighboring municipalities or in the private sector, mainly due to salary disparity.