Employees of the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) are holding a protest Saturday to decry unsafe working conditions and labour practices by Pulsar, the operator of the light-rail network.
The protest comes a day after REM’s Deux-Montagnes station opened in a high-profile ceremony — with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier François Legault and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada in attendance.
The union representing about 40 employees who maintain the REM buildings, the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ), said it is holding a protest at the Deux-Montagnes station Saturday.
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REM is also offering free rides across its network to mark the addition of the new line. The service between Deux-Montagnes station in the North Shore and Gare Central in downtown Montreal will officially begin Monday, Nov. 17.
In a press release, the regional president of SFPQ Nicolas Leduc-Lafantaisie said the protest was intended to draw attention to Pulsar’s labour practices.
“Pulsar’s management is also making up its own health and safety rules, defying those of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), and even going so far as to dismiss unionized workers who raise issues, replacing them with subcontractors.”
