Inside municipal workers in Lachute are planning to work-to-rule and could go on strike on December 2.
On Wednesday, November 13, the Canadian Union of Public Employees/Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (CUPE/SCFP), sent a notice of a work-to-rule and refusal to work overtime to the City of Lachute, Québec to inform them of a walkout to take place at 12:01 am on December 2.
The 77 inside workers with the City of Lachute have been without a contract since January 1, 2024. The union has harshly criticized the bargaining methods of the employer’s representatives, who filed an application back in October to make the move from negotiations to mediation, resulting in the cancellation of meetings and delays to talks that were already difficult.
According to CUPE/SCFP, last November 4, members went to city council to get some explanation from Mayor Bernard Bigras-Denis as to why his representatives were so uncooperative. The union claims the mayor told them he would not negotiate in public and that they had his confidence.
“The mayor’s lack of commitment and all of the questions that went unanswered were the last straw as far as the members were concerned. They wanted to see that the mayor really wanted to get an agreement and gain some recognition of their working conditions commensurate with what they contribute to the municipality,” said CUPE representative Stéphane Paré.
The work-to-rule and the refusal to work overtime will begin at 12:01 am on December 2 if no agreement is reached before then.
The mediator has been in contact with the union to find out when its representatives will be available. The union did share its schedule and is currently awaiting a reply from the employer.
