Residential construction strike could start Wednesday if APCHQ refuses to consult members

A photo of a residential construction worker building a home. Photographer: (Allison Joyce/Bloomberg) (Allison Joyce/Bloomberg)

The Alliance syndicale de la construction is issuing an ultimatum to its employers’ association: a residential construction strike will be called at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, unless it agrees to submit the latest union proposal to a vote of its members.

The Alliance syndicale, which brings together all the construction unions, made the announcement on Friday morning.

It is asking the Association des professionnels de la construction et de l’habitation du Québec (APCHQ) to respond by 12 p.m. on Monday as to whether it will agree to submit the latest union proposal to its members.

The Alliance says it believes the APCHQ has time to consult its members by June 6, with a vote by secret ballot.

If the APCHQ refuses to submit the union proposal to its members, an unlimited general strike will be called in the residential construction industry, warns the Alliance syndicale.

Its five member unions have already adopted a mandate for an unlimited strike by 83.8 per cent.

Three other sectors of the construction industry have settled their agreements as part of the Alliance; that is, the industrial sector, civil engineering and roads and institutional/commercial.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 23, 2024.