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MONTRÉAL – SNCF-CUPE 3812 is dismayed by a robbery that took place last night in Rosemont when two of its members were attacked.

“Once again, a crew consisting of only two armoured truck workers has been attacked at night,” reported SNCF-CUPE 3812 president Angélique Paquette. “And this is the third incident of this type so far this year. What are the federal and provincial governments waiting for before they propose legislation to improve safety in the cash services industry in Canada and provide more effective protection to workers in that sector as well as the general public? Right now they are just passing the buck when it comes to taking responsibility for people’s safety while companies continue to post profits at the expense of safety.”

Third Worker Plays a Key Role

The sad events of last night highlight the importance of having a third worker stay in the truck at all times to support the other two workers who are outside providing service to clients. This adds a level of monitoring that no technology can offer or replace. The third worker serves as a lookout, thinks and acts based on each situation to ensure the safety of those outside of the truck.

Fierce market competition and employer greed have led to the steady erosion of safety levels in the cash services industry. At the same time, a sharp increase has been observed in crimes against armoured truck workers.

SNCF-CUPE 3812 is joining its fellow cash services workers belonging to Unifor in calling together for the situation to be addressed through more effective legislation.

With more than 111,000 members, CUPE-Quebec is active in 10 different sectors, including health and social services, communications, education, energy, municipalities, Quebec government corporations and public agencies, air transportation, public transit, the mixed sector and universities.

Information:
Angélique Paquette, President, SNCF-CUPE 3812
 514-937-3812

Lisa Djevahirdjian, CUPE Information Service
514-831-3815