The bosses and union members oppose

Hugo Duchaine

Thursday, September 7, 2017 19:57

UPDATE
Thursday, September 7, 2017 19:57

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While the union members to oppose fiercely to the testing of the cannabis to the approach of legalization, the bosses denounce the increasing risks of work-related accident.

“It affects the workers’ right [to privacy], it is invasive and there is no way to know when the drug was taken and how much is in the blood, ” said Rima Chaaban, of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), Thursday, at the regional Consultation on the framing of cannabis in Montreal.

Photo Hugo Duchaine

Rima Chaaban
FTQ

Zero tolerance

The largest trade union centre in Quebec also rejected any inflexible policy of “zero tolerance” in the workplace, suggesting instead that the government focus on prevention.

For his part, the CEO of the Federation of chambers of commerce, Stéphane Forget, said that it is ” unrealistic to think that employers will have the means to detect whether their employees are under the influence of cannabis “.

It calls for more investment in research that tests more reliable to be created, because the Federation fears a decline in productivity, increased absenteeism, and work-related accidents once the pot legal.

Above all, she wants to protect employers from all kinds of prosecution in the event of an accident at work with an employee who was impaired.

21 years

Like medical specialists, the Federation of chambers of commerce demand it also to the government that the legal age to consume marijuana is 21 years old.

“The highest rates of work-related injuries are found among young employees, and studies show that the biggest consumers are in the younger generation,” said Mr. Forget.

Other public health groups have also requested that the legal age to consume cannabis is 21 years, compared to 18 years for alcohol and tobacco.

Present in the consultations on Thursday, the minister responsible for the public Health, Lucie Charlebois, has preferred not to interfere in the debate, stating that it was that” listen ” for the moment.

Ms. Charlebois has, however, asked several speakers if they feared that a legal age higher not used to young people to turn to the black market.