Quebec ferry service union calls for unlimited strike mandate

The Société des traversiers du Québec office in Lévis, Québec. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Some 150 union members of the Société des traversiers du Québec have just given themselves a mandate for an unlimited general strike.

The ferry workers are navigation and mechanical officers, members of the Syndicat des métallos, affiliated to the FTQ.

The strike mandate was adopted by 91 per cent. The union announced on Friday that it would give seven days’ notice of any strike action.

The collective agreement expired on March 31, 2023. The dispute mainly concerns wage increases and the use of subcontractors.

The management of the Société des traversiers said that it is willing to continue negotiations and “avoid the use of strike action in the future, but ultimately it is not the STQ that chooses the pressure tactics,” it pointed out.

The union has also filed a bad faith bargaining complaint against the Société des traversiers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 9, 2025.