The engineers of the State reject massively the offer of Quebec

File Photo, Simon Clark
The president of the Association of professional engineers of the government of Quebec, Marc-André Martin, states that 1300 of its 1400 members voted 90 % for a rejection of bids and a return to the means of pressure.

Robert Plouffe

Friday, July 7, 2017 10:35

UPDATE
Friday, July 7 2017 12:05

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The government engineers reject massively the latest proposals from the government Couillard and roll over the mandate of the general strike.

The president of the Association of professional engineers of the government of Quebec (APIGQ), Marc-André Martin, states that 1300 of its 1400 members voted 90 % for a rejection of tenders, and a return to a means of pressure.

The APIGQ must present the government with a notice period of 9 days before you can re-trigger an indefinite general strike. But the summer period seems not favourable to a resumption of the strike.

“We do not wish to bring the population back. We believe that our first three weeks of strike action have already had an impact on the building,” says Mr. Martin, hinting at a lull by the end of the construction holiday.

Meeting crucial

The representatives of the Association of professional engineers will meet next Tuesday for their vis-à-vis the Treasury Board.

They intend to submit a new proposal taking account of the expertise of the engineers of the state.

“The last offer of the government was filed before the presentation of the report of the auditor general on the 14th of last June, which stated that due to lack of expertise of the ministry of Transport was still vulnerable to the private sector”, said Mr. Martin.

The APIGQ hope to see it improve even the offer of the government. In mid-June, while the engineers had suspended their strike, the president of the treasury Board has submitted a qualified offer for a comprehensive and final.

It provided for a wage increase of 5.25% over four years, including a substantial enhancement to the engineers experience.

The engineers come back with their initial request for a salary increase of 20 % over seven years, in the belief that the less well-paying when they compare themselves with their colleagues in the federal and even cities.

The meeting next Tuesday will be decisive in the eyes of the president of the APIGQ. “The gap between the demand and supply is huge. We are not on the same rink. We will see if there is a genuine will to make things happen.”

Reaction of Moreau

On the government side, the minister Pierre Moreau said, take note of the outcome of the vote and remains open to continued negotiations.

At the time of adjourning the parliamentary session, the minister Moreau has served a warning to the engineers. In case of resumption of means of pressure, the national Assembly will be called to adopt a special law forcing their return to work.

According to the parliamentary calendar, elected officials, resumed officially at work on 19 September.