Unlimited strike by government engineers has begun

A road construction site in preparation, in Lévis, photographed on Sept. 19, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

The indefinite strike by Quebec government engineers officially began at 5 p.m. Thursday after the parties failed to reach an agreement on renewing the collective agreement.

The 2,000 engineers, members of the Association professionnelle des ingénieurs du gouvernement du Québec (APIGQ), primarily work in the Ministry of Transport, but also in Environment, Cybersecurity, Municipal Affairs, Agriculture, and Natural Resources.

Approximately 490 of them may be assigned to essential services, including infrastructure interventions.

The dispute centers on wages, the use of private-sector outsourcing, the flexibility requested, and the engineers' professional autonomy.

Last week, Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel's office emphasized that agreements have already been reached with "98 per cent of employees in the public and parapublic sectors" to date.

"We hope to reach an agreement with the government engineers as well," she said, adding that essential services will be maintained as needed.

But APIGQ President Marc-André Martin accuses the government of failing to adequately invest in its in-house engineering expertise, which he argues is crucial for fulfilling its role.

"We are the bulwark against collusion, and right now, the government is undermining its only line of defense against it," said Martin, lamenting that contracts are being awarded to private firms rather than investing in internal expertise.

"We see it in infrastructure: costs are skyrocketing; we've lost control over infrastructure; it's costing us excessively," added Martin.

"We're asking for more complex mandates. We want to get hands-on with engineering again and take the lead in restoring order to infrastructure. But the government is flatly saying no," he said.

On the wage front, the engineers have not yet been offered the 17.4 per cent over five years that was granted to other public employees.

"Treasury Board stated that wage increases will depend on the flexibility obtained in other areas. Discussions must continue at the bargaining tables."

The strike seemed inevitable, even after another negotiation meeting was held on Wednesday.

The union has also planned "visibility activities" for Monday in Montreal near the Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine Tunnel Bridge and Tuesday in Quebec City, near Treasury Board offices.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 14, 2024.