The strike by municipal engineers will affect the REM

Philip Teissira-Lessard
Tap

The walkout, which is entering its fourth week, does not seem to be going away.

According to our information, the consortium responsible for building the electric train and its client will no longer receive answers (or delay them) when it comes to actions affecting municipal infrastructure.

This process, called “Documentary Review”, is usually performed by municipal engineers, often specializing in one field (aquaculture, sewers, roads). They are currently on strike. The officers who replace them are not fit for the job.

A source uninterested in the labor dispute and unrelated to the Engineers Union argued that the dispute had “obvious implications” for the project and would cause frustration among REM’s builders. However, according to our information, an extension of the schedule is not currently planned. Its first section will be launched in a year.

Sources discussing the case Tap She declined to be named because she did not have the authority to speak to the media.

Deadlines have been threatened, the union believes

Without commenting directly on the impact of the strike, the CDPQ affirmed the importance of the work of Infra City engineers.

“We collaborate daily with a number of professionals, including engineers, in the city of Montreal for the realization of REM,” the company spokesman Jean-Vincent Lacroix said in an email. “In this particular case, we are continuing our discussions with city administrators and are closely monitoring the situation.”

Confirms information from the Professional Union of Scientists with Exclusive Practice of Montreal (SPSPEM), which primarily employs engineers Tap.

“Dozens of major projects will be postponed until next year and large projects such as REM and Turquoise Interchange will not be focused on and their schedules will be threatened,” its president, Mary-Eve Dufour, said in a statement. Tap.

The mayor of Montreal did not respond Tap.

“No big impact”

At a City Council meeting last week, Valerie Plante indicated that her teams were doing everything possible to mitigate the consequences of the engineers’ strike. She assured that the walkout “will not have a big impact on municipal sites”.

“We are well prepared to minimize the impact of this strike as much as possible,” he added. We prepared accordingly. ”

The union criticized the position.

“Valerie Plante very much refused if she thought the 550 engineers on strike would have any impact on the sites,” President Mary-Eve Dufour said in a statement. “The city did not add a single dollar to its proposal. It’s unreasonable to insist on giving 0% salary to its engineers, contrary to Project Montreal’s commitments.”