Strike at ÉTS in Montreal

Some 600 support employees of the École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS) are on a one-day strike Wednesday, within their unlimited general strike mandate.

They are members of a local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated to the FTQ. They work as support staff in professional, technical, office, trades and services.

Their collective agreement expired on March 31, 2022 ,and negotiations began the following November.

“We’re out on the street today because mainly because of wages, salaries,” said Richard Quesnel, CUPE National Representative. “We represent 600 people, employees, support employees, professionals, technical, office and services.”

At the core of the dispute is internal promotions and recognition of skills, teleworking arrangements, and salaries.

“After more than a year of negotiations, our members sent us the signal that we needed to intensify our pressure tactics,” said Mathieu Dulude, president of the ÉTS Employees Union (SEÉTS) in a press release. “There is a lack of recognition of their work at ÉTS and it is time to redress the situation. We must allow them to reach their full potential, for the benefit of the institution and the students.”

With nearly 135,000 members in Quebec, CUPE represents approximately 10,780 members in universities who are mainly support employees.

“We want ETS to recognize our competence and make sure that we have access to the promotions,” said Quesnel. “We’re very proud of the people showing up today, and I think the message is clear to ETS that we are in solidarity with our checklist.”

It is the largest union affiliated with the FTQ.

ÉTS is part of the Université du Québec network and specializes in engineering.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 17, 2024, and translated by CityNews.