A childcare center in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and a union in a labor dispute have been issued a government decree, marking the first application of a new law that mandates the maintenance of minimum services during strikes or lockouts in specific situations.
Enacted by Labour Minister Jean Boulet on Nov. 30, the Act aims to address the essential needs of the population during strikes or lockouts. It grants the government the authority to involve the Administrative Labour Tribunal in deciding if minimum services should be sustained to prevent undue disruption to the public during labor disputes, expanding beyond traditional essential services linked only to health and safety.
The focus of the current order is on CPE Le Jardin de Robi in Roberval, where employees have been on an indefinite strike since Oct. 22, impacting the families of 84 children in their care.
The employer reported to the Labour Department about the significant repercussions of the service interruption on the children and families, leading to the tribunal’s involvement to assess the necessity of maintaining minimum services.
The tribunal will now assess and determine the requirement for providing minimum services during the ongoing labor dispute.
