MONTREAL — L’Alliance Syndicale Construction union has asked the 77,000 striking members of Quebec’s industrial, institutional and commercial sectors (ICI) to respect the back-to-work legislation, which was adopted Sunday at the National Assembly after 15 hours of debate.
Bill 54 ended a two-week construction strike between the Union and the Association de la Construction du Québec (ACQ).
Workers were asked to return to their job sites Tuesday morning at 6:30 am.
If they don’t return to work, individuals will face fines of $100. Unions and employer’s associations could face up to $125,000.
The special law sets out a one-year deadline for renegotiations between disputing construction industry parties.
They had previously arrived at an impasse when the union presented an offer to the ACQ on June 29. It was rejected and after 36 hours of intense negotiations, the discussion broke off.
Premier Pauline Marois said she was “disappointed to have to resort to a special law” but intervention from the National Assembly was necessary.
The union is asking all the workers to obey Bill 54, even if they’re not happy about it.
They are expecting to continue negotiations with their employers next month, with the hopes that the new back-to-work legislation will not set a precedent for the future.
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