Transco wants striking school bus drivers’ union to accept third-party arbitrator

The union representing striking school bus drivers in Montreal is refusing to accept arbitration from a third party, says the company at the heart of the matter.

Autobus Transco claims the CSN union is “visibly fearing the presence of an impartial arbitrator, and instead seeks to negotiate through the media.”

The company believes an arbitrator would have the ability to put an end to the three-and-a-half-month strike by next week.

“As part of the negotiations, the Union continues to formulate salary demands that would not be viable for any school carrier in Montreal,” Autobus Transco wrote in a Monday news release. “In recent days, the Union has also spoken publicly to lay out its demands and criticize Transco.

“Unfortunately, the Union refuses to make any material movement off their unreasonable demands and refuse to accept creative solutions which could resolve this strike such as using an impartial adjudicator.”

Some 350 drivers employed by Autobus Transco have been on strike since Oct. 31, disrupting the commute of more than 15,000 Montreal students.

Among the school boards affected are the English Montreal School Board, the Lester B. Pearson School Board and Marguerite-Bourgeoys.

At issue is salaries. The Quebec government has already granted additional financial assistance to the school bus companies to help them improve salaries, compensate for higher rents, increased insurance costs and the electrification of the bus fleet.

However, the two parties do not agree on what portion of this additional aid from Quebec should be paid to drivers.

Transco claims the union is misrepresenting the situation while issuing public statements.

“The Union’s insinuations do nothing to contribute to a constructive negotiating climate.”