MONTREAL – About 46 STM employees have faced disciplinary actions after failing drug or alcohol tests since 2011, according to a report obtained by the Journal de Montréal.
Most of the employees who tested positive were drivers and mechanics who were on the job.
So far this year, two employees have been suspended and two others have been let go.
The worst year for positive tests was 2014, with 14 employees being reprimanded.
According to Alco Prévention Canada, about 10 per cent of employees are under the effects of drugs and alcohol at any given time while working and being under the influence of substances causes about 20 per cent of work accidents.
Stricter testing for drugs and alcohol at the STM was put in place five years ago.
A spokesperson for the union representing bus and metro drivers explained employees were not necessarily drunk or high on the job, but they may have had traces of the substances in their systems when they were tested.
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