Drivers of school buses are on strike today

Dominique Scali

Monday, 29 January, 2018 20:28

UPDATE
Monday, 29 January, 2018 20:31

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Nearly 15,000 parents will have to renew themselves, their children to school on Tuesday and Wednesday in Montreal because of a strike of school bus drivers.

The approximately 330 drivers from the company Transco have not managed to agree with the employer on Monday and have decided to go ahead with their strike.

Schools in four school boards are affected, either English Montreal Marguerite-Bourgeoys, Commission scolaire de Montréal (CSDM), Lester B. Pearson, as well as the private college Holy-Anne.

Free childcare

“The management will not be easy since a single school may be served by several transport companies,” said Marc-Etienne Deslauriers, of the parents ‘ committee of the CSDM. Some children may therefore be carried and the other not then they go to the same school.

The fact remains that the parents of the schools affected the CSDM had already been informed by email of the possibility of the strike mardii, ” he said.

In addition, affected students will be accommodated free of charge in the service of custody of the CSDM, ” says Mr. Deslauriers.

This could allow more flexibility for parents who need to exceptionally go to renew their children to school.

Salaries

Last week, the drivers of the company Transco had rejected 98% of the latest offerings by their employers.

The question of wages is the main point of dispute, says the union by way of a press release on Monday evening, denouncing an ” impoverishment of the workers.”

According to the union, the school boards pay a certain amount to Transco in order to increase the salaries of the drivers.

However, the american company First Student, which owns Transco, will be “entirely in the pockets” these are for the first two years. As for the three other years, she cashed half of it, denounces the president of the union, Carole Laplante, in the press release.

“For us, it just does not make any sense “, she adds.

The company Transco had not made the calls from the Log by the end of the day Monday.

The routes affected by the strike

• Lester B. Pearson school board : 2640 students on 55 roads

• Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys : 3936 students on 82 roads

• Commission scolaire de Montréal : 2832 students on 59 routes

• English Montreal school board : 4224 students on 88 routes

• The College of St. Anne, a private institution : 864 students on 18 roads