Quebec government engineers hold demonstration in Montreal, unlimited general strike continues

As an unlimited general strike continues, engineers working for the Quebec government held a rally in Montreal on Wednesday morning, to demonstrate their support for the negotiating committee and maintain pressure on the government.

These 2,100 engineers are members of the Association professionnelle des ingénieurs du gouvernement du Québec (APIGQ) — a large union independent of the central government agencies. They work primarily at the Ministry of Transportation, as well as the Ministry of the Environment, Municipal Affairs, and Cybersecurity, for example.

“We are the core business of the public infrastructure. We are the roads, we are the main structure, the bridges, the dams,” said Marc-André Martin, president of the APIGQ.

The APIGQ members began an unlimited general strike on May 2.

On Wednesday, members rallied in front of the offices of Premier François Legault, Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport Geneviève Guilbault, and president of the Treasury Board Sonia LeBel.

The engineers work primarily at the Ministry of Transportation, as well as the Ministry of the Environment, Municipal Affairs and Cybersecurity, among others.

Among other grievances, the union isn’t happy with the reorganization of its engineers’ offices — they say they need a space that allows them to concentrate on their tasks. 

“They try to strip all the buildings and they make open spaces for everybody else. And there’s problems with the concentration,” said Martin. “We’re doing engineering–so if you don’t put the comma at a good place, it’s not a sentence problem. It might be like something’s collapsed instead of holding on.”

The union also previously accused the Quebec government of having conducted “a facade negotiation,” by itself designating the engineers who could sit on the negotiation committee on the reorganization of engineers’ offices, which they say ignores the union’s power to represent its members.

This unlimited general strike could affect certain roadworks and construction sites to varying degrees.

In a statement to CityNews, the Ministry of Transportation said it would not comment on ongoing negotiations, which are being led by the Treasury Board Secretariat.

“The Ministry is confident that the negotiations will lead to an agreement satisfactory to both parties,” said Martin Girard, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation. “The Ministry always takes the necessary steps to ensure the safety of network users.”

“At this time, it is impossible to say what the impact of the strike will be. Several factors, including its duration, may influence these impacts.”

—With files from The Canadian Press.