Weekend strike for the Sorel-Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola ferry

Another strike is expected on the ferry between Sorel and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola this weekend.

The strike is scheduled to last two days, from Saturday 6 a.m. to Sunday 7 p.m.

About 70 workers who are members of a local branch of the steelworkers’ union affiliated with the FTQ are expected to take part in the strike.

These include deckhands, boarding staff, cashiers, office workers and more.

The dispute is mainly about wages.

Negotiations with the Société des traversiers du Québec have been ongoing for several months.

Union members are demanding pay increases to bring their wages in line with those of workers in similar positions elsewhere in the industry.

The workers have already given themselves a ten-day strike mandate, which they intend to exercise at the appropriate time.

Dates for further strikes have not yet been set.

The Société des traversiers has already condemned the strike because of its impact on the population and argued that negotiations are still ongoing.

Last weekend, five ferries were affected by a two-day strike, including the one between Sorel and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola.

However, these were other employees, namely navigation and engine officers.

– This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 28, 2024.