Blue-collar workers begin to manifest in Laval

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Matthew Payen

Wednesday, 4 October 2017 13:26

UPDATE
Wednesday, 4 October 2017 13:26

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After having to adjourn the session of municipal council of Laval last night, the blue-collar workers are back in front of a town hall that was blocked off this afternoon when the session resumed at 13 h.

A hundred blue-collar manifest currently, using powerful flutes to make noise, so that their collective agreement which expired since January 2016 is being negotiated.

A major police operation was deployed to complicate the task of the protesters. The boulevard of Remembrance is partially blocked to traffic, barriers surround the hotel de ville, while two lines of police officers guard the entrance to the building and that the squad riot control is deployed within.

“We are being threatened to stop us, but we are not told for what reason,” laments Stéphane Lavoie, vice-president of the union of blue-collar workers of Laval.

Yesterday evening, they were about 700 to manifest, with flutes. The noise would have been deafening inside the city hall that mayor Marc Demers has made to adjourn the meeting.

“It is a strange decision because this is not the first time that the manifest like this and you had the same device as usual. It makes a noise, but one remains on the outside,” says Mr. Lavoie.

For the opposition, the postponement of the meeting is unfortunate. “This is the last session before the elections, citizens were came yesterday evening to ask after 4 years of administration Demers. Some cannot be here today,” said Michel Trottier, councillor and opponent of the mayor in the elections of 5 November.

According to mayor Demers, the answers to the questions that were not able to move today will be sent by e-mail.

Mr. Demers would have justified the postponement to today 13 h by saying that at this time the blue collar workers are at work and can not manifest, ” said Mr. Trottier.

A information that confirms the leader of the opposition, Jean-Claude Gobé. “This is the busting primary, he laments. We promised things to blue-collar workers, but upon arriving at the negotiating table, there was nothing more. I understand their anger.”