Quebec’s Labour Minister, Jean Boulet, is reportedly set to table a law Wednesday to put an end to the STM transit strike – now on day 11. This news comes as Montreal’s mayor-elect says she wants a deal by Nov. 15 and that public transit users in the city cannot deal with full STM strike days this coming weekend.
“The city cannot continue like this, cannot continue functioning like this,” said Soraya Martinez Ferrada at an early morning press conference on Tuesday. “My understanding is that conversations are going well, but not at the result we expected.”
“I invite them to end the strike measures at this time, to stop holding citizens hostage to this strike, and to get down to the task of negotiating as quickly as possible. I think it’s possible. I think there are good conversations going on right now, but we absolutely must settle quickly if we don’t want to end up with a special law that will ultimately take away all their bargaining power.”
“Montrealers can no longer tolerate a strike like this and the impact it has on their lives.”
The union for 4,500 bus drivers and metro operators has given notice that they intend to strike Saturday and Sunday, which along with the 2,400 maintenance workers of the STM already on strike – would see the entire transit network in the city shutdown fully for 48 hours.
A Quebec Labour Tribunal heard arguments from STM management, the union for the bus drivers and metro operators, and other stakeholders on Monday. A judge is set to render a decision on what services might be maintained by Thursday.
“They’ll have to answer to the public,” added Martinez Ferrada. “Negotiations are advancing, but we’re not at a deal yet.”
Boulet is said to want to fast-track the adoption of legislation on Wednesday that would allow the implementation of Bill 14 to be accelerated, limiting the right to strike and expanding the notion of “essential service.”
Adopted last spring, Boulet’s law “aimed at giving greater consideration to the needs of the population in the event of a strike or lockout” was supposed to come into force on Nov. 30.
This law would not prevent any pressure tactics, but would force union members to reduce the periods when the population is deprived of services.
Last week, Boulet warned that he was “seriously considering bringing forward” the law so that he could intervene if no agreement was reached by the deadline soon. To pass it quickly, the CAQ government needs the unanimous support of the opposition.
Québec solidaire has refused to rush its implementation – advocating for negotiation and a massive reinvestment in public transit. The Quebec Liberal Party said it was “talkable” in order to quickly restore public transit services, the Parti Québécois, had shared a similar position to that of QS, but has since changed its mind and is open to negotiating with the government.
Service limited for bus and metro
The strike is affecting regular bus and metro services, including routes serving schools, with some trips cancelled.
The metro now opens daily at 6:30 a.m., with no train service or station access before that time. Metro service is limited to:
Stations close progressively after the last train passes each night.
Bus schedule:
Paratransit services, however, are not affected and continue to operate as usual.
The agency notes that the STM website remains the most reliable source of information, as it includes scheduled timetables, adjustments based on actual conditions, and real-time data.
