Transco school buses: Union refuses arbitration, despite Labour minister’s intervention

The union representing school bus drivers’ with Transco is refusing to go to arbitration to settle its dispute with the company, despite an invitation to do so from Quebec’s Labour Minister, Jean Boulet, and the employer.

The union, which represents 350 school bus drivers, has been on strike since October 31.

Some 15,000 young people studying in schools of the English Montreal and Lester B. Pearson School Boards, Centres de services scolaires de Montréal and Marguerite-Bourgeoys, as well Collège Sainte-Anne are affected.

Last Friday, in response to the ongoing dispute, Boulet met separately with the employer and the CSN-affiliated Fédération des employé(e)s des services publics union – which represents the drivers.

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Boulet reminded the parties that, if they agreed, he could appoint an arbitrator – a neutral and impartial third party – to settle the dispute and allow the employees to return to work. The arbitration decision could then take the place of the collective agreement. The employer had already offered this to the union on more than one occasion, to no avail they said.

“We won’t go to arbitration. We will not have a collective agreement imposed on us,” said union president Carole Laplante in an interview on Wednesday.

“We’re not convinced by the Minister of Labour’s arguments.”

She added that the union had been negotiating with Transco for several years and had always managed to reach an agreement to renew the collective agreement. Bus drivers’ pay is the main sticking point in the current dispute.

“We believe in mediation,” added Laplante. Another conciliation meeting was held on Wednesday, but no progress was made.

“Autobus Transco has been proposing arbitration since the beginning of January, but the CSN continues to reject this reasonable proposal, which is detrimental to students’ attendance in class,” said Transco. “The CSN is the only party prolonging this pointless strike.”

-This story has been translated from French by CityNews