MONTREAL – In perhaps the biggest protest to date, tens of thousands of protesting civil servants took to the streets to demonstrate against Bill 3, the controversial provincial bill that would reset pension contributions for civil servants.
“They want to tear apart our working conditions,” said Marc Ranger, one of the primary organizers of the protest.
The province is going against “the retirees, against the workers, so we’re saying — ‘you want a good fight? You’re going to have a good fight.”
READ MORE: Montreal’s unionized workers forced to defend themselves
What galls more than 100 unions representing more than 100,000 workers province-wide is what they characterize as a circumvention of collective bargaining.
If it becomes law, Bill 3 would set a variety of pension agreements individually negotiated by the unions to a single, across-the-board contribution schedule.
The province is trying to plug a budget shortfall of almost $4 million, but civil servants charge it is going back on agreements that already were negotiated in good faith.
Since protests began heating up in the early summer, there have been flashpoints of trouble.
First-responders such as firefighters and police have been under particular scrutiny.
Last month city councillors watched in horror as protesters stormed City Hall and sacked the council chambers — a demonstration that included some first responders such as firefighters and police.
As a response, the Montreal Police Department laid charges against almost four dozen people, including one civil SPVM employee and several firefighters. No police officers were charged.
WATCH: Montreal police investigate city hall protest
While relations between the city and the province have improved recently, protesters say their fight extends beyond their union membership.
“The pension plan is part of our remuneration,” said Ronald Martin, the firefighter union president. “We only want this agreement to be respected. today it’s us, tomorrow it’s going to be somebody else.”
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