Ferry workers plan July strike during Quebec City's music festival
'Negotiations are dragging on needlessly,' says union spokesperson
The ferries connecting Quebec City and Lévis, Que., might be grounded during the Festival d'été de Québec as the umbrella union representing ferry workers say they're planning to strike.
The workers provide ferry service to and from Quebec City's South Shore, and also another ferry further east that connects Matane, Que., and Baie-Comeau, Que., on the Côte-Nord to Godbout, Que., on the Lower St. Lawrence.
They say they have an unlimited bank of strike days that they will use at an opportune moment.
"Our negotiations are dragging on needlessly," said Patrick St-Laurent, union spokesperson affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN).
They sent strike notices to the Ministry of Labour on Friday morning, with the intention of taking three strike actions in July.
The Quebec City and Lévis crossing will be impacted by the strike between July 5 to 15 — coinciding with the region's largest music festival which runs July 4 to 14.
As for the Matane-Baie-Comeau-Godbout crossing, the strike will take place in two stages — July 22 to 26 for employees at the dock, and July 29 to Aug. 2 for those on the ship. This strike would coincide with Quebec's construction holiday.
Written by Rachel Watts based on a report by Radio-Canada